The Power of Friends
by Guardian of Hope
Summary: The Next Gen Yellow Rangers find their place in the world and on their teams. NS-JF Minus SPD, Gen, pairings mentioned: Slash and Het plus M/M/F. Rainbow Brotherhood. Earth, Song, Honor, and Speed are Complete. Dance, the story of Lily, has begun.
1. Earth

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers

A/N: This is the launching platform of my favorite group of yellows. Ronnie isn't, actually, because I don't *know* her like I do the other four. Enjoy!

* * *

A bowl sits on a window sill, warmed by the sun. It is an unusual bowl, handmade by a person who is both and neither an amateur and master. Glazed a golden yellow, it is filled with a variety of rocks and semi precious gemstones. Any rockhoud looking through the bowl would find stones from all over the world, from the expensive, and the rare to the common and the cheap. Anyone with an eye for detail would notice one type of stone being the most common: the gold and black Tiger's Eye. In fact, one sits on the rim.


	2. Earth 2

Discliamer: Still no Ranger ownership here...

A/N: After starting with a drabble, I just had to give you a real chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

Dustin had known Tori and Shane for a while. They had been in school together, and he and Tori had bonded over an entirely too frustrating beach diorama in the eighth grade. They were not joined at the hip, didn't have much, if anything, in common, but would say hi when they saw each other at school, and occasionally they'd spend a not entirely unpleasant study hour in each other's company. It wasn't until after high school, however, that Dustin actually, and truthfully, saw Tori and Shane.

It had been his dad, of course, his mother tended to blame his dad for a lot of things Dustin did that she didn't approve of. One lonely day after school, his dad had dropped him off at a karate school, told him to "have fun and listen to sensei" and he was hooked. It had been his friend Lee who had introduced him to motocross, and his dad had bought him his first bike when he landed his first jump. After his dad left, Dustin found that karate and motocross made it easy for him to pretend his dad was out there with a camera, watching him.

He was seventeen when he realized that he could do more with martial arts than he'd ever dreamed possible. That was when the small and slender Kanoi Watanabe and the taller, elegant Bridgett Karmichal had shown up at his parents' place to invite him to attend a secret ninja academy. Five minutes into the conversation, Dustin realized that Mr. Watanabe and Mrs. Karmichal thought he was eighteen, but he didn't see any need to correct them. He'd skipped second grade and was forever being thought a year older. And while it wasn't exactly legal, he agreed to attend. After all, in three weeks it wouldn't matter anyway and it wasn't like he was signing anything.

He arrived at the academy outside of town late on his first day. He'd been stuck at school, trying to arrange a makeup exam after being out of school with the flu. Of course, he was already two weeks behind because of his illness, but to be late on the first day he was supposed to be there did not inspire confidence in how his future at the academy would turn out. As he parked his bicycle by the pond Sensei Watanabe had shown him when he'd gone up to fill out his paperwork, a young Asian man came running out of the trees. He stopped when he saw Dustin, "Hi," Dustin offered.

"Hello," the guy said, "mountain biking?"

"Something like that," Dustin agreed. "Doesn't seem like a place for a runner, though."

"I'm supposed to meet somebody up here," the guy replied.

"Oh," Dustin said, "well, I'm Dustin. Dustin Brooks."

"Cam Watanabe," the guy replied.

"Any relations to Sensei Watanabe?" Dustin asked, before he could think.

"That's my dad," Cam replied, "How do you know him?"

"I'm supposed to start classes today," Dustin replied. "But I'm running late."

"Hold on, are you _Waldo_ Brooks?" Cam asked, looking at him.

"Dude," Dustin said, "He promised! I don't use Waldo, it's just Dustin dude."

"All right," Cam replied, "follow me," he started across the pond.

"What about my bike?" Dustin asked, "I can't just leave it here, can I?"

Cam sighed, "Bring it with, and leave it on the other side of the portal. There's a bike shed there."

"Ok, dude," Dustin took a deep breath and followed. He _hated_ this, and he'd only done it once before. He liked to be able to see what he was stepping on. He closed his eyes as the portal opened and then stopped to take a look around the academy. Something in him shifted and, like the last time, it felt _right_ to be here.

"Here," Cam said, he gestured to an innocuous building covered in vines, "you put your bike here."

"Thanks," Dustin said and put his bike away with the others. He looked at them for a moment, they were all red, blue or yellow, except for two, one was a discrete black, but the other was vibrant, neon green.

"Welcome Dustin," Sensei Watanabe said as Dustin came back out of the shed, his backpack in one hand. The Sensei was walking down one path. Dustin noticed that Cam stiffened before taking a different pathway on to the grounds.

"Sensei," Dustin said, bowing slightly, "I'm so sorry I'm late. I had to talk to my teachers at school."

"It is fine, Dustin, this once. I know you have not been well," Sensei Watanabe replied.

"Dude, is Cam mad at me or something?" Dustin asked, "'Cause he said he was waiting for me?"

"I asked Cam to see that you made it through the portal all right. If you will come with me, I will show you to your class." Sensei Watanabe replied.

"Yes Sensei," Dustin replied, he swung his backpack over his shoulder as he headed to join his Sensei. The pair walked silently across the grounds to where two students were training under the eyes of a teacher. As soon as the teacher saw the two of them, he clapped his hands twice, "Rest," he told his students.

"Sensei Will," Sensei Watanabe said, "this is Dustin Brooks, your third student. Dustin, this is Sensei Will, your instructor."

Dustin shifted his backpack and bowed, "Sensei."

"Welcome, Dustin," Will said politely. "I'll see that he gets settled in, Sensei."

"Thank you," Sensei Watanabe replied, he inclined his head and walked away.

"Dustin, these two are your year mates, Shane and Tori. At this time of day, it is traditional that small groups train together in the ways of the Wind Ninja Academy." Will gestured to the two students, who were watching; "Shane and Tori, this is our third, Dustin Brooks."

Dustin looked over the two and as his eyes met Shane's dark brown and Tori's bright blue, something clicked, like the world settled into place.

* * *

The bowl sat on the window sill, filled with stones. On its rim was a tiger's eye shaped like an oval, a piece of red jasper, shaped like a ball with one flat side, and a piece of boulder opal, shaped almost like a heart.


	3. Earth 3

Discliamer: Still no Ranger ownership here...

A/N: Shorter than the first. Oh, and Dustin is eating one of those Milk'n'Cereal Bars they came out with a few years ago.

* * *

Two months after he began his Ninja training, Dustin realized something. Tori and Shane were closer to him than any friends he had before. Even if they didn't ride motocross, Dustin never felt happier than when he got his first win since he'd started at the academy and they were there to cheer for him. Maybe he'd never understood skateboarding before, but watching Shane perform flips and tricks was like freestyle, tons of work for short periods of awesome. As for Tori, Dustin _liked_ the beach; he didn't mind watching her surf, as long as she didn't try to put him on a board.

Six months later, Kelly nicknamed them the 'Dashing Trio', although, she was more referring to their habit of being late rather than their attractiveness. Dustin found himself telling Tori and Shane more about himself than he'd ever voluntarily told anyone else, and his friends returned the favor. If there were occasional comments by outsiders about 'third wheels', the trio knew they didn't need to date, or what have you. They were good enough as just the three of them. This isn't to say that their life was paradise. They fought, a lot, but they never actually stopped talking to each other. Even after some of the bad ones, within twenty four hours they were talking again. They never really spoke of it, but it seemed to them to fit into the Academy's teachings about anger and forgiveness.

Ten months into being ninja students, Shane made a statement that Dustin would never, ever, let him forget. "All I know is that if we're late, something will definitely happen to us and it won't involve fun and fabulous prizes."

As they climbed in the van after their training, Dustin looked at Shane, "Don't say it," Shane said.

"What?" Dustin asked, "I was just going to ask if this," he gestured to his morpher, "counted as a 'fun and fabulous prize'?"

"Ok," Shane said, "You get one."

"No, he's right," Tori said, "You did say it Shane."

"I know I said it," Shane replied, "but I just thought we were going to be expelled, not made into superheroes."

"Isn't it awesome thought?" Dustin demanded.

"It's serious," Shane said. "People are going to be depending on us to stop Lothor."

"Totally," Dustin agreed, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a cereal bar, as he sat up, he saw Shane looking at him, "What?" He asked, "I'm hungry. Oh, I'm sorry, did you want one?"

"No thanks," Shane said, "taco night."

"Tori?" Dustin said, "I got Cheerios and Cocoa Puffs."

"No thanks," Tori replied, "how can you eat those." She started the van and began to back down the road.

"That's easy," Dustin said, "I open the package," he suited action to words. "Take a bite, chew and swallow."

"We don't need the color commentary," Shane said.

Dustin shrugged, "Whatever dude." He settled back on the seat with a slight smile. On one side, Tori began to hum along with the radio, while Shane stared pensively out the window. Knowing Shane, it was either him worrying over some new skateboarding trick or being a Power Ranger, but Dustin was content to let him worry a bit. If he didn't lighten up soon, Dustin would take steps.

For right now, everything was good. They were relaxed, their elements were calm, and he had plenty of time to enjoy a favorite snack.


	4. Earth 4

Disclaimer: Sorry, I don't own Power Rangers. Saban does.

A/N: This is set during Looming Thunder and assumes that the fight between Shane and Dustin, and the next scene, of Dustin at the track, are two different days.

* * *

Dustin paced angrily back forth across the cliff edge. _What is wrong with him?_ He thought, kicking a rock. _He can have all the friends he wants, but as soon as I make friends that aren't ninjas, he goes all protective on me. Why can't I have friends? What's wrong with having friends that ride? Maybe they aren't good friends, but it's nice to have someone to ride with. And since when am I not committed? I've always been committed to my training, motocross and martial arts._

"So this is where you went," Cam said.

Dustin turned, "Hi Cam."

"My father is worried about you," Cam said. "You took off pretty fast."

"Maybe," Dustin replied, turning away, "I need to train anyways; I've been neglecting it lately."

"I think that's what Shane was saying," Cam began.

"No, dude, you don't get it," Dustin exclaimed, turning to face Cam, he waved his hand, "none of you do. Tori goes out and surfs and she's communing with her element, so it's ok. Shane skates and it his down time, so that's ok. But when I need to spend time at the track, it's a hassle?" He stepped closer to Cam and stared into his face, willing the older man to understand, after a few moments of staring, Dustin turned away, "Of course it is, because I'm the airhead." He hunched his shoulders and leapt into the air, streaking away as fast as he could.

He stopped running in a back alley near Storm Chargers, and, with a quick glance for witnesses, headed deeper into the alley. After two turns, he was facing the back of Storm Chargers, and the small mechanic shop that Dustin used for his bike repairs, as well as the bikes that Kelly accepted for maintenance. There were bikes waiting and Dustin sighed, he'd put a lot on hold for the Rangers, and his work had suffered. With a grunt, Dustin pushed the first bike into his work stall, matched the number to his list, and set to work.

When the lights flicked on, Dustin looked up in surprise; he had been so involved in his work that he hadn't noticed the light fading. "Dustin, are you all right?" Kelly asked, surprised.

"Fine," Dustin replied, and then turned back to the bike he was working on. "Just taking care of these bikes, is all."

"Shane was in the shop looking for you," Kelly said, "did you guys have a fight?"

"No," Dustin said. He put the filter on the bike he was working on and began to reassemble the parts.

"Shane said the same thing," Kelly said, "but he did seem worried about you."

Dustin's wrench fell from his fingers, and he clenched his fists, "It's not fair," he said. "Just because I make new friends, friends that he doesn't know, he gets upset."

"Is this about Hunter and Blake?" Kelly asked.

"It's about everything," Dustin replied, "They're just one small part of it." He looked at Kelly, "It's like, suddenly it's a hassle for them because I ride motocross. I put a lot of stuff on hold for this project, and now that the big races are going to be local and I need to train more, they get upset. At least, Shane is. Tori won't say anything."

Kelly sighed, "I don't know what to tell you about that, Dustin. But I think I know where Shane was coming from on Hunter and Blake."

"What do you mean?" Dustin asked.

"Shane and I both heard them," Kelly said, "after you introduced them to each other. Hunter asked why Tori was hanging out with 'a goof like Dustin' and Blake replied, 'maybe she likes charity.'"

Dustin rocked back on his heels, _Why do I never see this coming?_ He thought, remembering any number of people who had seemed like friends and who had turned out to be not the people he thought they were. "Fine," he said, "just great. Kelly, I'm going to put this bike back together and I'm gone. I'll be at the track in the morning."

"I'm sorry Dustin," Kelly said.

Dustin gave her a smile, "Its fine, Kel." He picked up his wrench, "it's not like this is the first time it happened after all."


	5. Earth 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers

A/N: Sorry guys, more angsty type stuff... Please to be remembering just _when_ this season took place (2004/2005). It will make some of this make sense.

* * *

Dustin found Tori standing on the beach, her board set in the sand beside her. "You aren't surfing?" He asked, stepping up beside her.

"Dustin, you startled me," Tori said, her lips moving in a parody of her usual smile.

"Are you ok?" Dustin asked.

"I'm fine," Tori looked down; as if she couldn't look at him.

Dustin nodded, "I thought so; you miss Blake, don't you?"

"What? NO!" Tori looked up at him, her eyes wide in shock.

"You do," Dustin pointed at her, "You and Blake, huh? He totally likes you."

"In case you failed to notice, he _used_ me," Tori snapped.

Dustin stopped, he'd suspected, but he kept it a silent rule that he didn't talk to others about their problems until the problem was admitted. "He used me," Tori whispered in a broken voice, a near whimper of held in tears.

"Tori," Dustin said, "you want to talk about it?"

"It's so stupid," Tori cried, throwing her hands up. "He's hot, and he's funny and he seemed really nice, but he turned out to be a total douche bag. Why do I always get these kinds of guys attracted to me? Do I have some sign on me that says: 'I'm a sucker who likes assholes?'"

Dustin winced, because he had forgotten Kenneth the Surfer and Martin from the Academy. Both young men had been kicked to the curb by him and Shane after they had hurt Tori. Still, Dustin couldn't help his response, "Tori, he was brainwashed by Lothor."

"How do you know?" Tori asked, "How do you know that isn't his natural personality."

"Because they're rangers," Dustin said. "Rangers are good people, sometimes…sometimes they get brainwashed, or magicked, but at heart, where it counts, they're good people."

Tori stared at him, and Dustin waited to see if she had something to say. When Tori closed her eyes, he took his chance. "Look, Tor, I know that Blake hurt you. We were all betrayed by them, but you have to believe that the Power doesn't chose the unworthy." Thinking back to an email to a girl, woman, he'd never met, and might never see in person, Dustin picked his words carefully. "I'm not saying you shouldn't be hurt, Tori. I'm just saying, don't give up on Blake. He might actually be your Brad Pitt."

Tori smiled, reminded of her long-time crush on the actor and her late night confession to Dustin that she wanted someone as wonderful as Brad Pitt appeared to be her husband. After a moment, she said, "I'm worried, are you feeling all right?"

"I feel fine," Dustin shrugged, "why?"

"You don't sound like yourself." Tori replied.

Dustin spread his arms a little, "I'm just me, Tori." His watch beeped and he sighed, "I have to go, family dinner."

"Ok," Tori said, she kissed his cheek, "thanks Dustin."

"No problem," Dustin replied before heading away from the bluff. Instead of streaking, he walked, his mind returning to that email. _I told Tori what she needed to hear, but I needed to hear it first._


	6. Earth 6

Disclaimer: I am not owning power rangers SABAN DOES WOOOHOOO!

A/N: Yeah, so I watched the episode that precedes this ("Snip It, Snip It Good") and was like...that's it? Talk about a half-developed plot...There for, if you've seen the episode, just imagine that there was more...conversation...although...hot guys in spandex wrestling? Might not be girls mudwrestling but the view... If you haven't, well, basically, a monster made Shane and Dustin fight. In my version, it was slightly more confrontational than what was in the episode. Also? The person on the phone? Gave Dustin the advice he needed in the last chapter...

* * *

"Hey Dustin, you coming?" Shane asked.

"No," Dustin said, "I've got my bike, I'll just ride down."

"Are you sure?" Tori asked.

"I'll be fine," Dustin said, "I just wanted to ask Sensei something."

"We'll see you later then?" Shane asked, lifting his hand.

"Yeah, no problem," Dustin said, gripping his friend's hand. Tori flashed him a smile before heading up the stairs, with Shane right behind her.

"Are you ok, Dustin?" Sensei asked.

Dustin sighed, and looked at Cam, who was watching him from the supercomputer's chair, Cam looked at him for a moment before standing, "I'm going to get me a snack," he said, and headed further into the underground complex.

Dustin sat down at the table, "Sensei, we almost…" He stopped as the words he wanted to say slipped away. "I, Sensei, are you sure I'm supposed to be yellow?"

"Yes, Dustin," Sensei said, "I have no doubts."

"I wish I could say that," Dustin said. "I thought, yellows are supposed to be healers; we're supposed to fix the fights not…participate in them." He brought his knees to his chest and rested his arms on top, "Today…"

"You could no more resist than Shane," Sensei said, "Snipster's power saw to that."

"But it shouldn't have," Dustin burst out, surging to his knees, "I'm yellow."

"You are also human," Sensei pointed out, "you cannot blame yourself for not being perfect." He jumped, flipping over Dustin head to land on the table.

"I should be," Dustin muttered as he twisted to look at Sensei, "at least, I should have been able to fight it better." His cell phone rang, and Dustin pulled it out. _Unknown Caller_ the display read.

"Perhaps you will be in a better frame of mind after you speak to your friend," Sensei offered as Cam came into the room with a plate.

Dustin flipped open the phone, "Hello?" He asked.

"Is this Dustin Brooks?" A pleasant female voice asked.

"This is he," Dustin confirmed. "Who is this?"

"My name is Tanya Sloan," the woman said, "we've been emailing."

"Yeah," Dustin said, "hold on a sec." He turned to Sensei, "It's Tanya, the yellow ranger I was telling you about."

Sensei nodded, "We will see you tomorrow Dustin."

"Yes Sensei," Dustin replied with a bow, and then he lifted the phone to his ear, "Sorry about that. How did you get my number?" He left Ninja Ops as fast as he could, feeling that this would be a conversation best for a private setting.

"Shane called Jason," Tanya said, "he seemed worried, so Jason got your number and passed it to me."

Dustin rolled his eyes, "Just a rough day on the job, you know? Nothing I can't handle."

"Want to talk about it? I have plenty of time." Tanya offered.

Dustin sighed, "I'm fine, Tanya."

"I'm sure you are, but you worried Shane enough to call Jason," Tanya replied, "and Shane has only ever called Jason once before this. Usually Jason has to call Shane. What happened?"

"There was a monster," Dustin said as he approached the portal, "hold on, my phone is going to go weird," he said. He walked through the portal and hurried across the pond, "Are you there?"

"Yeah," Tanya said, "what was that?"

"Academy entrance," Dustin replied, cutting through the trees to where he had stashed his bike.

"Right, so, about the monster," Tanya prompted.

"The Snipster," Dustin said. "Sensei and Cam said that what he did was 'cut the ties that bind'. There was a conference that Shane and I were guarding. It sent Kelzacks against us, to distract us, and when we looked in on the conference, they were fighting each other. Shane and I went after the monster, but he made us fight each other. Sensei had to use his telepathy to break it."

"Ouch," Tanya said sympathetically. "Hold on." She clearly was covering her phone, but Dustin could hear her talking to someone, "Hi hon…talking to Dustin, the new yellow…bad day…lasagna's in the oven…ten minutes…love you to." There was a noise and she was back, "Sorry about that, my husband, Adam, just came in. What I was planning to say, however, was that I bet you feel incredibly guilty right now."

"I do," Dustin said quietly.

"You feel you should have fought harder, or been able to prevent it."

"Yes," Dustin agreed.

"I'm not going to tell you to ignore that, because it could make the feeling worse. Instead, I'm going to point out that you did defeat the monster, you and Shane." Tanya said, "You two got your act together with a little bit of help and handled things. And before you even come close to feeling guilty for needing a kick in the pants, I want you to remember that everybody needs help sometimes, even if they don't want to admit it. If you can't accept that, then I will do to you what I used to do to Tommy, our fearless leader. It was quiet simple, I had Zordon, our mentor, agree to let me give Tommy a colonoscopy the first time, because if he was filled with that much bull shit, I was afraid he'd hurt himself."

Dustin snorted.

"Exactly, it did work, though." Tanya chuckled, "Feeling any better?"

Dustin considered, "Yes," he said, "I am, a bit."

"Excellent. Now, think about what I told you, and talk to Shane. He's probably beating himself up over this whole thing too. That's part of what Reds do, they angst and they're very, very good at it."

"Ok, Tanya," Dustin replied, "and thank you."

"We're Yellows, Dustin. We heal; mind, body and soul. Sometimes, we need to be healed. Trini always put it as 'Who heals the healers?'" Tanya paused, "She always said it was her friends, because they knew when to _stop_ talking, which I wasn't sure I got. Aisha said it was her family, but then, she calls her team her family. For Ashley, she says it's the world, but Ashley isn't a typical healer."

"What about you?" Dustin asked.

"Me? Well," Tanya paused, "this may sound strange, but I always say strangers. Because my team was made of strangers, to me; they supported me while I got my feet under me and I returned the favor when I was ready. Now, I have to go before Adam sets the kitchen on fire. Again. If you have any more doubts, you have my number, and my email address."

"All right," Dustin said, "I should probably track down Shane. Bye."

"Bye Dustin and good luck!"

Dustin slipped his phone in his pocket and pulled his bike out from under the overhang were he stashed it now and headed back down the hill.


	7. Earth 7

Disclaimer: Saban Owns Power Rangers!

A/N: More angsty Dustin because, apparently, this is what I feel like righting. This is set after Return of Thunder. Dustin, at least, may appear to be OOC, but this is my Dustin, who is dealing with secret feelings and has been burned before by false friends.

* * *

Dustin took his bike over the hill, his hands tightening as if he could physically throw the bike down the track. Hunter and Blake were back. For a brief moment, as he leaned into the turn, he felt his heart lift. Then he finished the turn and shot down the track as his heart sank. They were back. They were also unpredictable, because how many times had they betrayed them? Dustin finished his run and parked by the Storm Chargers van. "What's wrong?" Kelly asked.

Dustin pulled his helmet off and shook his head, "My head's not in this today, Kel." He sighed, "I just have some personal stuff I can't forget."

Kelly bit her lip, "Dustin, you can't skip every practice."

"No, I'm fine," Dustin said, "I just need a moment."

"Dustin, Kelly," Dustin closed his eyes.

"Are we late?"

"No," Kelly said, "Dustin's just taking a break."

"No I'm not," Dustin said, and jammed his helmet back on. With a violent kick, he started his bike and started off. If he had a choice between socializing with Hunter and Blake, and riding distracted, at the moment, he'd take distracted.

He wasn't even halfway through his first lap when Blake and Hunter came roaring up on either side of him. As they came out of a turn, Hunter waved his hand, but Dustin ignored him, pushing harder, almost recklessly, on the accelerator. He pulled ahead of the Bradleys for a brief moment, but when they caught up, he changed tactics and slowed down enough that they went shooting ahead before they could adjust. He evened out his speed and focused on his ride.

A few more laps and Dustin went to join Kelly, "Are you sure you're ok?" Kelly asked as Dustin hauled his helmet off.

"I'm fine," Dustin replied, sliding off his bike. "You want me to do a few more laps?"

"No," Kelly said, "go ahead and load up, I'll put your bike back."

"Thanks Kel," Dustin said.

"But Dustin, whatever's wrong between you and the Bradleys; you might want to get it settled." Kelly said.

Dustin began to push his bike, "Tell them that," he said.

"What does that mean?" Hunter demanded, stepping out of the Storm Chargers trailer.

Dustin looked at him, "Excuse me."

"No," Hunter said, "you've been avoiding us, and I want to know why Dustin." He latched onto Dustin's bike and stared at the slightly shorter Ranger.

Dustin glared at him, "What? You actually want to hang out with a goof like me?" He transferred his glare to Blake, who came around the backside of the trailer, "Or are you just trying to get your charity work for the week done."

Kelly's gasp was the perfect counterpoint to Hunter jerking back as if he'd actually been hit. Dustin moved his bike and Hunter moved away. "Dustin," Blake said.

Dustin pushed his bike into the trailer and knelt to gather the straps to fasten it in place. As he threw them over the seat, Hunter appeared and knelt to fasten the other side. "I don't need your help," Dustin snapped.

"I'm not asking," Hunter replied. He tightened the last strap and stood. "Look, why didn't you say anything before now?"

"Why should I have to?" Dustin replied. "You made your feelings rather plain, you know. I'm not a puppet on a string; you can't just be my friend and then dump me whenever it's convenient for you."

"It's not like that," Hunter said.

"Could have fooled me," Dustin said, walking to the end of the trailer. He grabbed his backpack from the floor of the trailer and jumped out. He slung his backpack off his shoulder and grabbed his bicycle from where it leaned against the trailer.

"Hunter," Kelly said, "Blake, wait a minute." Dustin paused, wondering what Kelly had to say to the Bradleys.

"Yeah, Kelly?" Hunter said.

"Let him go," Kelly said. "Dustin needs to cool off. He'll be fine, you'll see."

"I had no idea," Blake said, "he didn't seem mad."

"I know," Kelly replied. "I've known Dustin for years, and he doesn't get angry all that often. He really does practice forgiveness. The thing is, I don't think Dustin's mad. I think he's hurt." Dustin stiffened, but didn't move. "He doesn't make friends easily, and some of the people he thought were friends…they burned him really badly."

Dustin didn't need to hear anymore, he slung his leg over his bike and took off. Kelly knew how much to tell people. She, after all, had been his confidant for years; ever since he'd first gotten into motocross.


	8. Earth 8

Disclaimer: Saban bought Power Rangers...that's almost as good as if I owned them. (Which I don't)

A/N: This is the second half of the last chapter. The way I see it, Hunter calling Dustin a goof wasn't as bad as Blake's comment. I'd be happy to debate my argument on request.

* * *

Dustin put a bike on the stand and set to work, grabbing oil from the stock and noting it for the inventory before sticking an oil pan under the bike and beginning the oil change. As he worked, he felt tension draining out of him. This was what he needed, bikes didn't confuse him, they didn't say one thing and do another, and they didn't turn on him. Bikes just needed to be taken care of and they would never let him down. They didn't say that they'd be your friend, and then turn on you when you told them you were bisexual. Bikes didn't care.

Dustin had almost slipped into a meditative trance as he passed from bike to bike, changing oil, filters, tires, spark plugs and hoses. He found his balance digging dirt out of the most stubborn of places. "Dustin?"

And just like that, all of Dustin's calm was ripped away. "Yeah, Hunter?" He asked, trying to bring up a smile.

"Look," Hunter said, "I, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. You were right; I was being a jack ass."

"And?" Dustin asked, glancing at Hunter before focusing on the hoses he was replacing.

"I can't take back what we said, or what we did," Hunter replied, "but I feel bad that it happened."

"Ok," Dustin replied tightening the last clamp.

"Ok? What does that mean?" Hunter demanded.

"It means ok," Dustin said, he wheeled the bike down and blinked, he was caught up. He parked the bike with the other finished bikes and set to cleaning up. "It means that I understand you feel bad, and I understand that you're sorry."

"What do you want from me? Dustin, I think you're a good person, ok, and I want us to be friends. That's kind of hard to do when you won't even look at me."

Dustin turned, wrench in hand, "Now you want to be my friend? Hunter, maybe I don't want to be your friend, ok? I'm not as stupid as you think I am, I've done this before. I can't trust you to be my friend, you've proven that."

"That was Lothor," Hunter snapped, "he brainwashed us."

"That's not what Blake said," Dustin replied, "from what he told us, you two damn near volunteered to fight us."

Hunter stepped back, "He said… Dustin, Blake doesn't remember, ok? We didn't just hear that Sensei Watanabe killed our parents and attacked, it wasn't like that."

"Explain," Dustin said, pointing the wrench at Hunter.

"He, Lothor, he tried to force us to agree at first, he tortured me. I told Blake not to give in, that I could handle it. And I could, until Lothor started on Blake. I promised our parents that I'd look after Blake, and when Lothor got started, I caved. He has this machine; he said that if I didn't want him to hurt Blake, all I had to do was go in there. I did, the next thing I know, Blake and I are plotting to kill Sensei Watanabe. It's fuzzy, but I think I convinced Blake to go into the chamber when I got out, but I don't really remember. Blake doesn't remember any of it. I didn't either, not until that steam got me." Hunter sighed, "Look, Dustin, I'm not always a nice person, but I'm not evil, not by choice. What I said, what I did, maybe that's a part of me, but that's not who I've chosen to be."

Dustin studied Hunter for a long moment. Then he put the wrench in his tool box and closed it, "I forgive you, Hunter," he said, putting his tool box in one of the shop's cabinets and locking the door. "But I swear, if you go evil again…"

"Thanks," Hunter said. He half smiled at Dustin, "And thanks for listening. I would've talked to Sensei, but he would have given me some mystical ninja advice and left it at that. I just wanted to say all of that."

Dustin grinned at Hunter, "I'm really good at listening, Hunter, if you ever need to talk."

"Yeah?" Hunter smirked, "I'll keep that in mind."

"So where's Blake?" Dustin said, "I don't see you two apart all that often."

"Tori was hanging out in Storm Chargers," Hunter replied.

Dustin washed his hands, and said over his shoulder, "Let's go make weird faces in the window. It freaks Tori out when I flip my eyelids inside out."

"Why not?" Hunter replied. "I do have a question, though."

"Yeah?" Dustin asked.

"Do you have a mechanic's license or something?" Hunter asked.

"Actually," Dustin laughed, "I do; I've been officially licensed for about three months, but I've been assisting Kelly since I was fifteen and wanted to learn how to maintain my own bike."

"Cool," Hunter said. "Wait, how old are you?"

"Old enough to vote, but not old enough to drink," Dustin replied.

HBDHBDHBD

Blake watched Dustin as the yellow ranger checked over his inventory. "I see you forgave Hunter," Blake said quietly.

"Maybe I did," Dustin replied, making a note on his clipboard.

"I just wanted to say, I am sorry," Blake said. "What I said, it was wrong." He glanced at his feet, "Sensei Omino used to say that I had trouble looking beyond the obvious, and that I made hasty judgements. I did that with you and it was wrong. I saw airhead and I didn't let myself see anything that would challenge that opinion. Even though I knew you were, well, you know."

Dustin looked at Blake. "Tori likes you," he said quietly. "Shane trusts you with her. Cam doesn't hate you." He looked into Blake's eyes. "I forgive you, Blake. And I'm trusting you with Tori. Don't make me regret it."

HBDHBDHBD

The bowl in the window was unmoved, but not unchanged. Still warmed by the sun, the stones inside gleamed coldly. The stones on the rim were warm, as if they caught and reflected the sun all at once. In addition to the tiger's eye, boulder opal and red jasper, there were two more stones, a red carnelian and a piece of lapis lazuli. The lapis lazuli was curved, similar to a set of horns and the carnelian had been shaped like a lightning bolt. Resting on top, in the center of the bowl, was a rounded piece of jade, waiting, perhaps, to be needed.


	9. Earth 9

Disclaimer: Saban owns Power Rangers, a move I heartily endorse. Unfortunantly, I do not own Saban.

A/N: Consider this the beginning of the end of Dustin's arc. Also, the serious forays into slash will begin after this chapter. (Also read as: This is the chapter that begins to hint at the resolution of the Rainbow Brotherhood Universe plotline as regards to NS)

* * *

Dustin strolled into Ninja Ops, and blinked as everyone turned to look at him, "What?" He asked.

"You're late," Cam said, from his seat at the super computer. Dustin looked at the screen long enough to see the hawk zord before he met Cam's eyes. "You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago."

"Yeah, about that," Dustin began, raising his hand to gesture over his shoulder.

"You weren't at the track," Hunter interrupted from his seat at the table. The blond haired ranger was staring at him with an emotion that Dustin couldn't, quite, detect in his dark blue eyes.

"You weren't at Storm Chargers," Blake added, leaning back to see around his brother. Dustin noted that Blake had a text book before him and wondered what that was about.

"You weren't at home," Shane said as he walked down the steps from where the books were kept. He held a book in his hands with the symbol for air.

"Which is where your morpher said you were," Cam added, drawing Dustin's attention back to him. The genius pushed his glasses up his nose and fixed him with what Dustin had silently named his 'beetle stare'. The kind of look that said you-are-but-a-bug-under-my-heel; the one Cam reserved for when he felt they were being especially stupid.

"I knew I forgot something this morning," Dustin muttered. _Like making sure my morpher wasn't at the house._ He shifted his backpack on his shoulder, and looked at the only silent human in the room.

"Where were you, Dustin?" Tori asked right on cue, the blond surfer leaned half on the table, her ocean blue eyes promising him a world of hurt if he didn't answer.

"I had a thing," Dustin replied, shrugging. He shifted his eyes away from Tori, knowing his friend would have the easiest time breaking through his defenses if he kept looking at her. _It's unfair, the only person who does better puppy dog eyes is my sister, and she's ten!_

"A thing?" Shane repeated as he stopped in front of Dustin, crossing his arms.

"Yes, a thing," Dustin replied. He half raised his hand, "And it's a fairly regular thing that started today. It is not medical related, it's not illegal, and it's one of the safest hobbies I've picked up." He took a deep breath.

"Hobby?" Shane repeated.

"Yes," Dustin replied, "and yes, Sensei knows about it. I got his permission ages ago." _And I didn't tell you._

"And you didn't tell me," Shane said.

"No, I didn't," Dustin replied. He shifted his stance, taking a step back, and let his eyes pass over the room. "Look, are we going to train or am I just going to get the third degree, because I could totally use the extra track time."

"We will train," Sensei announced.

"Sensei," Dustin said, he bowed slightly, "I apologize for being late; things ran over."

"It is quite all right," Sensei replied, "first days are often filled with surprises good and bad. Now, all of you are to run, five miles, then return here. Yes Cam, you as well."

"Yes Sensei," the six replied and headed out of Ninja Ops.

Hunter fell in beside Dustin as the yellow ranger began to jog, "So, what were you doing today?" Hunter asked, "I was hoping you'd want to do some laps at the track. Blake had enrollment at the university's summer session and I was a bit bored."

"I'd rather not talk about it," Dustin replied, noting Shane's attention in front of them. "It's not so much a secret as, something I just want to enjoy on my own." _Great_ he thought, _bad enough I'm going to have to deal with Shane stalking me, I have to avoid Blake to. Why didn't I want to tell anyone about this?_

Hunter looked ahead of them and nodded, "I see."

The rest of the run was completed in silence, at least, until they got back to Ninja Ops. Dustin was last in line and he stopped at the head of the stairs, taking a last look at the broken and scarred academy grounds. "Dustin!" Shane called.

Dustin turned, "Coming," he replied, glancing down to watch his feat. Under his left boot was a stray piece of paper. He picked it up and unfolded it.

_Dear Hunter;_

_As you may be aware, I have returned to my parents following my first year of college. But there is more on my adventures in higher learning later. For now, there's something I must tell you; I have met someone, she…_

"Dustin!" Shane said.

Dustin jumped and refolded the letter as he hurried down the stairs, "Hey, Hunter, you dropped this," he said as he entered Ops, holding the letter out to the other man.

Hunter tooked the letter, folded it into fourths and tucked it into his training uniform. "Thanks," he said.

Dustin paid half a mind to Sensei's orders to begin warm ups. The rest of his mind was whirling around a discovery he'd just made, one that made his heart pound even harder, and the faint warmth on his face left no doubt in Dustin's mind that he was blushing. He glanced up as they all bent over to stretch their hamstrings and could barely hold back his smile. The thing that helped most in preventing Dustin from contemplating the affects of leather on toned bodies was the name of the person who had signed Hunter's letter.

_Brent Daniel Walker II_

As Dustin drew his arm over his chest, he found himself studying the back of Hunter's head. _Was Hunter gay?_


	10. Earth 10

Disclaimer; Saban owns Power Rangers (again!)

A/N: I'm not happy with the Blake Dustin conversation. But if I rewrite it again, I think it'll be even worse.

* * *

After practice, Dustin stayed at Ninja Ops; "Sensei," he said, "I have my schedule for the summer. What should I do with it?"

"Give it to Cam, so that he can make sure there will be no conflicts," Sensei replied.

Dustin sighed, but got the paper from his backpack, "Here Cam," he said.

Cam took the paper as he headed for the super computer, unfolding the paper as he walked. He stopped before he sat down and turned to look at Cam, "Summer semester? Dustin, are you going back to school?"

"I never left," Dustin replied, uncomfortably crossing his arms, "I'm just picking up the last few credits I need to be a sophomore. Nothing big, really, I just wanted to get them out of the way before I get into the more intensive stuff next semester."

"What's your major?" Cam asked as he sat down and began to type.

"I'm not sure," Dustin replied, "I mean, I know that I like being a mechanic, and I've always loved engines and machines in any form, so, I was thinking maybe a mechanical engineer. Something hands on, at least."

"That's a pretty intensive course of study," Cam admitted.

Dustin shrugged, "My dad used to say that I wouldn't know until I try. I mean, nothing's written in stone yet. For all I know, I could decide tomorrow to major in history and become a teacher."

Cam shifted his shoulders in a way that told Dustin that he'd rolled his eyes and grinned; even Cam had heard Dustin's stories about the evils of history. "What a minute," Cam said, turning back to look at Dustin, "you said this was a hobby."

Dustin grinned, "It kind of is, for me, I mean, according to my dictionary, a hobby is defined as: an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation. I like school, and being a student isn't my main occupation, that's why I'm a mechanic and motocross rider. Therefore, this is a hobby."

Cam studied Dustin for a moment before turning back to his computer. Dustin took a deep breath, it was now or never. He took a slim, white envelope out of his backpack and walked over to stand beside Cam. "I saw you and Hunter," he said quietly, staring at the floor to help keep his equilibrium as remembered anguish flooded him. He took a deep breath and held out the envelope, "I've got no use for this, so I thought you and Hunter would like them."

Cam glanced at the envelope, "Don't tell me," he said, "it's another one of your insane radio prizes, isn't it?"

"Maybe," Dustin replied, he shook the envelope at Cam. "Its gift certificates for two, at Manny's, the steak house."

"I know what Manny's is. Why don't you use them?" Cam replied.

"I haven't anybody I want to go with," Dustin replied, "consider it a gift to commemorate your whatever with Hunter."

"I can't take this," Cam began.

Dustin glanced at Sensei, but the guinea pig seemed to be meditating. "I think you will," he said, bending over until his lips were close to Cam's ear. "Otherwise certain parties will be made aware of a certain gag gift. The one you have tucked into the left side of the third drawer from the top of your dresser, under your sweat pants that miraculously fit every member of the team."

"You wouldn't," Cam gulped.

Dustin drew back to see Cam's eyes and smirked, "A friend among the yellows told me what to say," he admitted cheerfully, "Although, she said that I should find a sympathetic doctor who would perform random and voluntary colonoscopies as well. That was her standby for dealing with snarky and idiotic male teammates."

Cam swallowed, "Fine," he took the envelope. "Don't you have work to do?"

"Something like that," Dustin replied. He started across Ninja Ops and then stopped and turned back, "Oh, and Cam, now that you're a Ranger, you aren't going to get out of talking to me. I let it slide before, but not anymore." He smiled softly, "After all, that's what yellows do."

Blake was waiting when Dustin left Ninja Ops, "I saw something interesting today," Blake said.

Dustin shrugged, "What? Hunter shot lightning out of his butt?"

"No," Blake said, "I saw you at the university, apparently signing up for classes."

"What if I told you that I had?" Dustin replied, "What are you going to do about it?"

"Ask why you wouldn't just tell people that," Blake said, he started across the grounds, heading for the portal.

"Mostly because I don't see why I should have to explain my every movement to people," Dustin replied. He waited until they were in the trees before he stopped again, "Blake, how old do you think I am?"

"Twenty?" Blake guessed, "Maybe nineteen, Tori said you were younger."

Dustin smiled tightly, "I turned eighteen seven months ago."

"Seven," Blake murmured.

"My birthday was the day Lothor attacked the Academy." Dustin continued. "Tori and Shane know I'm younger; they know I skipped a grade. I'm not sure if they put together my birthday and school, but I've been two years younger than my so-called peers since I was ten."

"If you're that smart," Blake said, "then why the air head routine?"

Dustin crossed his arms, "Because, I would rather be true to myself than anyone else. This, me, this is who I am; it's not act or a character. Maybe that means that I appear stupid, or whatever, but there isn't one part of it that's faked."

"The part where you convince everyone you're stupid seems pretty fake," Blake said.

Dustin uncrossed his arms and held them out, "What do you want from me? Do you want me to be Cam? Or maybe Hunter would be to your tastes? What the _hell_ do you want, Blake, since what I want isn't good enough?" He stopped and waved his hand, "You know what, forget it. This is pointless. Go ahead and blab to the team that I'm taking college classes. It's not the end of the world."

"Why don't you just tell them?" Blake asked.

"Because up until the day we started here, I was just another face in crowd to Shane and Tori; someone to be friendly to but not a friend. After we started here, we've become close, and we're friends. Best friends in many respects, but there's a lot they don't know about me and there's a lot I don't know about them. The big difference is, I don't tell my life story to everybody the first chance I get." Dustin turned and started for the portal, "I have to go, there's nobody else who can do my work for me."


	11. Earth 11

A/N: To make up for the badness of the last chapter, I give you two for one. Also, I will not defend Hunter...at least, not right now. I will only look mysterious and claim that there is much going on that you do not understand.

* * *

Cam was sitting at his super computer, his keyboard rumbling as he typed, "Hey Cam," Dustin said as he walked in.

"What's up?" Shane added.

"Besides the fact that I am not speaking with Dustin and Hunter has expressed a desire for a sparring match with him?" Cam asked, "Not much."

"What did I do?" Dustin asked, exchanging a look with Shane.

"I don't know," Hunter said, coming into the room from the back, where the bathrooms were. "Tell me, Dustin, what have you had a hand in that might involve Cam and I, but no one else on the team?"

Dustin frowned for a minute, and then snapped his fingers, "I remember," he said, "your date. How did that go?"

"I'm going to guess badly," Shane offered.

"There's an understatement," Hunter replied dryly. "If you would remember, we went to Manny's last night."

"Didn't Manny's burn down last night?" Shane asked absently, and then looked at Hunter, "No way."

"Yeah," Hunter replied, "and Cam got bitten by a ferret."

"A ferret," Shane said.

"Yes," Cam said, holding up his left hand, which was bandaged, "I got bit by the little, fire starting monster. And Hunter almost got hospitalized for smoke inhalation."

"I'm fine," Hunter said, he glared at Cam for a moment. "I'm still going to spar with you, Dustin."

"Not right now though," Sensei said as he joined them; "Shane, Tori, Dustin, Hunter, Blake and Cam."

Dustin glanced behind him to find Blake and Tori standing there, he turned back to Sensei as Cam joined their group. "What are we going to do today, Sensei?" Shane asked.

"We will start with meditation," Sensei replied, "take a seat around the table." Dustin barely managed to internalize his groan. He hated meditation, especially supervised meditation. He settled down on the sole yellow pillow, and glanced up as Hunter knelt beside him, pointedly cutting off Shane to do so. Shane moved to sit across from Dustin, while Tori dragged a blue pillow around to kneel by Blake on Shane's side, and Cam took the finale spot on Dustin's side. "Today's meditation will be different than you are accustomed to," Sensei said before flipping onto the table. "To achieve a greater understanding and control of your elements, you will each meditate in a specific location. Shane."

Dustin eyed his friend as he straightened up, "You will go to the cliffs and meditate there, in the wind."

"Yes Sensei," Shane said, bowing from his seat.

"Go now," Sensei added after a moment.

Shane bit his lip, stood and bowed before leaving.

"Tori," Sensei continued, "you will meditate in the creek on the running trail."

"Yes Sensei," Tori replied as she stood and bowed. She didn't look back once as she walked away.

"Blake, you will also meditate on the running trail. There are several boulders, one of which is quite large and in perfect position for stargazing; this is where you will meditate."

"Yes Sensei," Blake replied, he didn't even wait to walk up the stairs, simply streaking, no doubt to catch up with Tori.

"Cam," Sensei continued, "you will remain here for now. As you are only beginning on your path, it is wiser for you to remain where your power can be readily contained."

"Yes Father," Cam replied.

Dustin thought Cam's tone was sharp to hide his disappointment, but he also freely acknowledged that he was probably projecting his own opinions of meditation on to the newly minted green ranger. "Hunter, Dustin," Sensei said, "you will meditate in the forest. Dustin, you will show Hunter where the twelve oaks stand on your way to the clearing where the Earth Masters meditate."

"Yes Sensei," Dustin said.

"Yes Sensei," Hunter added.

Dustin headed for the door with Hunter behind him, and he reminded himself that he couldn't give anything away. They cleared the doors and streaked together to the forests to keep Lothor from taking potshots at them. "What's with Sensei?" Hunter asked, "it was like he couldn't wait to get rid of us."

Dustin shrugged, "It's probably some weird mystic ninja stuff, dude."

"Aren't you at all curious?" Hunter said.

"He's Sensei," Dustin said, "we're supposed to wonder about him." He paused to orient himself, and then headed for the twelve oaks. "Did you always question Sensei Omino?"

"Of course," Hunter replied, "I didn't get all the answers, but sometimes I asked the question because I knew the answer."

"Dude," Dustin said, "you sound like Sensei."

"Thanks," Hunter replied.

Dustin stopped and turned to look at him, tilting his head slightly, "You're welcome, I guess."

Hunter flashed Dustin the grin that made Dustin's heart beat a little faster, "I want to be a sensei like Sensei Omino and Sensei Watanabe. That's why I ask questions."

"Dude, why would you want to be a sensei?" Dustin asked, starting to walk again. "I mean, except for the turning-into-animal thing, it doesn't seem to be very exciting."

"I like teaching," Hunter replied, "and I like studying the history of ninjas. There's nothing wrong with that."

"I didn't say there was," Dustin replied, "I just said that I didn't think it was exciting."

"What do you want to be then," Hunter asked.

Dustin shrugged, "If I don't make it at motocross, I'll probably be a mechanic." He ducked a low hanging branch and turned to Hunter, "Head to San Francisco, or maybe LA, volunteer somewhere and pay my bills with my skills." He gestured, "This is the twelve oaks. I guess I'll see you later."

"Dustin, wait," Hunter said, he put his hand on Dustin's arm.

"What, dude?" Dustin asked.

Hunter stared at him for a moment before bending over to kiss him.

Dustin held himself very still, stunned and shocked beyond speechless. Hunter could kiss! No wonder Cam had looked so…

Cam.

Dustin whined through his teeth as he wrenched himself away from Hunter, "I have to go," he said, staring at Hunter. Then he turned and launched himself into a streak.

No matter how much speed Dustin poured into his run, he couldn't outrace his thoughts.


	12. Earth 12

Disclaimer: Saban still owns them.

A/N: I'm apparently on a Dustin kick right now, I'm churning out chapters faster than I expected. Also, this is a few weeks after the Dustin/Hunter kiss.

* * *

Dustin was nervous as he stood in the quad at Blue Bay Harbor University. He rubbed his backpack's shoulder strap absently as he scanned the crowds. _Why is yellow such a popular color?_ He wondered, _It's not going to be easy to find anyone in this._

"Excuse me," a dark skinned woman said as she stopped before him, "this is going to sound weird, but are you Dustin Brooks?"

"Yes," Dustin said, "I am. Are you Tanya?"

Tanya smiled, "Yes, I am. It's good to finally meet you in person."

"I know," Dustin said, he started to offer his hand, only to wrap it around her waist as Tanya hugged him easily. "I'm glad we could meet."

"Me too," Tanya said. "Is there somewhere we could grab a bite? I'm starving."

"Sure, we can go to the Student Center or one of the cafes that are just off campus." Dustin said, "I'd recommend a café, but that's just me."

"I'll take your word for it," Tanya replied with a light laugh.

"I'll take you to Rio's, he has the best food," Dustin said.

"Hey, Dustin!"

Dustin stiffened slightly at Blake's greeting, but he kept his voice light as he turned to the Navy Ranger, "Blake, dude, I thought you had a class?"

"Canceled," Blake replied, "the professor had to make a call to Ralph on the porcelain phone."

"I don't know if that's disgusting or sick," Dustin replied. "Oh, Blake, this is Tanya Park. Tanya, this is Blake Bradley, one of my _friends._"

"Nice to meet you," Blake said.

"Same here," Tanya said, "Dustin's told me quite a bit about you."

"He has?" Blake replied, shooting Dustin a look.

"Oh don't worry," Tanya said, "I met Dustin by way of Shane and my friends Tommy and Jason."

"Really?" Blake replied, "Jason, he was first, wasn't he?"

"Yes," Tanya said. "I tend to look out for people like Dustin. Trini, Jason's wife, would, but she's in the middle of med school and pregnant. It's easier this way."

"Trini's pregnant?" Dustin asked, remembering the woman who sent him hand written letters on a bi-weekly basis. He wasn't sure what to think of the formal, elegant woman, but she seemed to like him.

"She just found out," Tanya replied, she smiled softly, "the next generation is beginning."

"I'll have to congratulate her in my next letter," Dustin mused. Then he snapped his fingers, "Food, let's go get lunch." He hesitated, courtesy and manners meant he had to invite Blake, but he desperately needed to talk to Tanya in private.

"I have to get to the library," Blake said, "I've got a history paper I need to work on. You two have fun, and be careful."

"Right," Dustin replied, "we'll be careful if you do," he added, raising his voice as his friend walked away.

Tanya laughed, "Where are we going then?"

"It's this way," Dustin replied, he led the way across the quad and campus to a street of sidewalk cafes and boutiques. The one Dustin picked was unique for its wooden awning and adobe front, giving it a slight southwestern flair. They grabbed seats outside, which were more deserted than the inside, featuring one woman in the middle of what was obviously a working lunch.

"All right, Dustin," Tanya said, "what's on your mind?"

Dustin took a deep breath, "I don't know what to do, it's awful, I have a, like, major crush on Hunter and, and then Cam and Hunter. They kissed! And dated. It's not fair, I want Hunter and it's not fair that Cam beat me to it."

"Are you sure about that?" Tanya asked as she eyed the young man.

"Positive, I nearly caught them having sex on the beach, and how could I forget because Hunter without a shirt is better than Chippendales. Also, I gave Cam my radio winnings, so he took Hunter to this very nice steak house. I mean, yes, there was a ferret that bit Cam and a fire. But, they're together." Dustin slumped slightly.

Tanya smiled up at the waitress approached, "Can I help you?" The lady asked as she handed over menus.

"Can I get some hot tea with milk," Tanya asked.

"Sure, and for you sir?" The waitress turned to Dustin.

"Water," Dustin replied.

"I'll be back soon to take your orders," the waitress said.

Tanya watched her go and turned to Dustin, "I'll be honest, Dustin, I've never been in your shoes. Adam had to get over what happened to Aisha, but he wasn't ever unavailable. I did, however, have to help Kat and Tommy."

Dustin leaned forward slightly, "Yes, but did Tommy kiss Kat the day after his first date with Kim?"

"Son of a bitch!" Tanya leaned back, her eyes widening, "He didn't?"

Dustin rested his arm on the table, "Day after, as soon as we got alone. I've made it a point to act normal and not be alone with him, but still."

Tanya could help it, she chuckled, "Dustin, every time I think I've heard it all, you come up with something new. What's with you and Blake, you seemed really tense."

Dustin shrugged a shoulder, "I don't think we're ever going to really get along, Tanya. I mean, we're teammates, I trust him with my life, but there isn't a lot we actually have in common. If we had just been ninjas, we would have parted ways after the academy and only seen each other at reunions. It's just sheer dumb luck we wound up on the same team."

"Oh, Dustin," Tanya said.

"Are you ready to order?" Their waitress asked.

Tanya glanced up, Dustin thought Tanya had been startled, so he spoke up, "I'll have a cob salad, vinaigrette, no tomatoes." He flicked a glance at Tanya, "I have an allergy."

"Of course," the waitress said, "and for you, man?"

"Turkey on rye, honey mustard, no pickles. With a fruit salad." Tanya said, closing the menu.

"Of course," the waitress said, she made some notes on her pad and collected their menus. "It will be out soon."

"Thank you," Tanya said with a slight smile as the waitress set their glasses on the table. "Dustin, the reason I asked to meet you," she sipped her tea and added some more milk. "It's colored business."

"How can I help?" Dustin asked.

"Well, we have a couple of off planet Rangers that need to be in Blue Bay for a week," Tanya said. "They'll be disguised, but we'd like to have someone to be available if they need help."

"Sure," Dustin said, "I can do that, but, why me? I'm not always the most reliable person in Blue Bay."

"Zakiyah is a yellow, her teammate Chase is a green. We wanted to match you colors, and Cam doesn't leave Ninja Ops all that often."

"Right," Dustin said, "like I said, I don't mind being their contact, but what's going on? Why are they here?"

Tanya sighed, "They're refugees, we are kind of hiding them from a police force that wants to hire them. It's a long story, better for private. We just need you to stick around for a bit while we get their new covers settled. They'll be posing as a couple."

"Like I said, it won't be a problem. Just bring them by Storm Chargers when they get here. Kelly, my boss, may not be in the know, but she's good with people. That and if I'm not there, everyone but Cam probably will be." Dustin said. He smiled as the waitress brought their food, "Thank you."

"Let me know if you need anything," the waitress said before retreating back inside.

"Now, about your Bradley troubles," Tanya began.

Dustin freed his fork and steeled himself to be grilled.


	13. Earth 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers

A/N: Still on my Dustin kick I plow onward. This particular story is set just after Sensei Switcharoo.

* * *

Dustin followed Shane down the trail through the woods, keeping his eyes on Shane's back as they went. "So," Shane said, "how are you dealing with the whole guinea pig thing?"

"I'm good," Dustin replied, "I keep feeling like I have flees, but I think that's my imagination."

"No cravings for guinea pig food?" Shane asked twisting to look at Dustin.

"No, I think that was just a onetime thing." Dustin replied. "I wonder what we're going to go through next."

"It's like it never stops," Shane said, "I mean, ever since Cam's been on the team, we had the love potions."

"Beevil," Dustin said bitterly.

"Dustin, that wasn't your fault," Shane said. He turned and looked at his friend, "Do I need to quote Sensei for you? I will, I swear it. If you start beating yourself up, I'll start quoting Sensei."

"No," Dustin said, "I'm fine, Shane. I swear I'm learning to deal with it."

Shane smiled tightly, "Well, you have to admit, us becoming guinea pigs is actually par for the course, right?"

"Right," Dustin said. "So, Blake and Tori went out on a date last night."

"How do you know all the gossip on the team?" Shane demanded.

Dustin grinned, "Because I have wacky radio luck. I won tickets to the Sugarland concert in Turtle Cove, so Blake and Tori reaped the benefits."

"People still buy that," Shane said, shaking his head.

"Buy what?" Dustin asked.

"Dustin," Shane said, "I know your family has money and your mother doesn't hesitate to spend it on you. Do you seriously think I'm going to buy you winning radio contests?"

"Dude, I have that kind of luck. It's not like it's hard to win." Dustin said.

"Whatever," Shane replied. "Let's go, we need to finish this hike."

"You're the one who stopped," Dustin pointed out.

Shane turned and started off again, "So, you really ok with Blake dating Tori?"

"Actually, I am," Dustin replied. "Blake's a good guy."

"You don't seem to like him much," Shane replied.

"Not everybody gets along, Shane," Dustin replied. "Blake's one of those people who don't like airheads."

"So you say," Shane replied. "How did you know about what he said?"

"Kelly told me," Dustin said. "She tells me a lot that goes on at Storm Chargers when I'm not there or busy; especially since I became her head mechanic."

"I didn't know about that," Shane said, "I mean, I know you work on bikes there, but head mechanic?"

Dustin shrugged, "When Kelly hired Hunter and Blake she promoted me. Kelly says she'll make me assistant manager, but I might leave for college in the next few years, so I don't want to leave her hanging."

"What's wrong with Blue Bay Harbor?" Shane asked. "The university's pretty good."

"Oh, it is," Dustin said, "but I'm thinking I might go somewhere more specialized for my junior and senior years. I don't think I'll leave California, though. Probably go to Reefside Tech or something. What about you? What are you going to do when this is all over?"

"I want to teach," Shane replied, "and I think I'd be good at it."

"Yeah, you think?" Dustin replied.

"Why not? I like the idea of helping a student find their inner ninja." Shane said.

"You are weird," Dustin muttered, he could not see himself teaching. He supposed he would try it; it was, after all, a tradition that ninja students taught their first year after graduation. Some stayed with it, some left. "You know, Hunter said he wants to teach to."

"Red minds think alike," Shane replied. "Hey, Blake was saying you met up with another Ranger the other day, what's up with that?"

"Oh, that was Tanya, Tanya Park," Dustin said, grinning, "she wanted to meet me in person and ask a favor."

"A favor," Shane repeated.

"Yeah, nothing big," Dustin replied, "some off-planet Rangers are going to be in Blue Bay next week and Tanya wanted me to keep an eye on them. The girl's a fellow yellow and her partner's a green."

Shane sighed, "More asylum seekers, I guess."

"Tanya said something like that, but she didn't explain," Dustin said. "What's going on?"

"The short version is that there's a space police force, Space Patrol Delta, that's been corrupted. They've been testing some special morphers and this minion has corrupted them to control the morphers. Part of what they've been doing is to drive out young and inexperienced Ranger teams. Either that or hire them and corrupt them. Earth is one of several planets offering sanctuary to those Rangers. I didn't hear about anyone coming to Blue Bay Harbor."

"It's temporary," Dustin replied, "just until they can get a place set up for the two."

"Which is also weird, because unless they're life-sworn rangers aren't kept together on Earth. Not without some major reworking." Shane replied.

"I don't know," Dustin said, "I got the impression that nobody knows everything with this. That way, if someone's compromised, they can't tell everything."

"Makes sense," Shane said, "especially with the work they put in to convince America and the other countries to help out with the whole thing; I was under the impression that it wasn't easy." Shane's morpher sounded, "Go for Shane."

"Shane, Cam. We have Kelzacks down town; you might want to get back here." Cam replied.

"We're on our way," Shane said, glancing at Dustin.

The pair launched themselves into ninja streaks, returning to their every day lives.


	14. Earth 14

Disclaimer; I do not own Power Rangers

A/N: Dustin's story is almost over, for episode reference, "Tongue in Cheek".

* * *

Dustin loved his sanctuary, also known as the shop behind Storm Chargers. There were always things he needed done, not just the bikes he maintained, but checking inventory, keeping the place relatively clean and neat. It was his escape from a confusing world, the one place where he could forget about being Dustin and just being. Sometimes, he wondered if this was what Sensei meant when he talked about the importance of the Earth and everything. It certainly felt like what Sensei described. "Dustin?"

Dustin sighed as his calm retreated under Tori's voice. "You know," he said, "technically, you shouldn't be back here." He reached up and put the bottles of oil up that he'd been restocking and picked up the paperwork for the requisitions.

"I just wanted to make sure you were ok," Tori replied, "You've been acting funny around Blake and Hunter and Blake's worried about you."

"I'm fine," Dustin said, he bowed his head slightly. "Why does everybody want me to be best friends with Blake and Hunter? They're _Thunders._"

"Dustin," Tori said, "You, of all people, have never subscribed to the inter Academy rivalries. I should know. Just who was it that helped me talk Shane and his Air buddies from going on that expedition to prank the Thunders?"

"Fine," Dustin said, "But still, why do I have to be friends with them? Why can't I just be teammates with them? It's not like I don't get along with them, fight well with them, _trust them with my life on a daily basis."_

"I'm sorry," Tori said, "I was just worried about it. Blake's not too upset, but he has mentioned it."

Dustin shook his head, "Tori, I get that you like Blake, I really do, and I'm happy that you two are together. It's just that there's too much between us right now for us to be close."

"What about Hunter?" Tori replied, "You were getting along fine with him, Cam told me you even donated some of your radio winnings for their date."

Dustin slammed his fists on the counter and spun, "My god, Tori, do you have to do this? I don't need a third degree."

"You've changed," Tori replied, "you get angry easier."

Dustin felt like he'd been gut punched, "I'm sorry, Tor, I didn't mean…I'm just not sleeping well. There just aren't enough hours in the day sometimes."

"And nightmares to," Tori said.

"I don't sleep long enough to have nightmares," Dustin muttered.

"Why?" Tori asked.

"Blake didn't tell you?" Dustin asked, he looked at his requisition forms, "Look, can I get these filed? Once that's done, I'm off for the day."

"Sure, but isn't this early for you?" Tori asked.

"Hold that thought," Dustin replied, he cut into the back room and hurried into Kelly's office.

"I thought you were gone already," Kelly said as he came in.

"No, Tori's dropped by just as I was wrapping up." Dustin replied, opening the right file drawer. "I just need to deal with these and then I'm gone for the day." He put them away and shut the drawer. "Thanks for everything Kel."

"No problem, Dustin," Kelly replied. "Just make sure you don't kill yourself."

"I won't," Dustin replied. He glanced into the backroom and turned back to Kelly, "Look, can you not use the yellow ranger to bring business? I'm getting tired of people asking me if _I_ am a power ranger."

"I will, Dustin," Kelly replied, "I didn't think it would get this big."

"It's viral," Dustin agreed. He stood for a moment and then said, "I have to go, Kel. Tori's waiting."

"Ok," Kelly replied. "Have fun."

"Yes mom," Dustin replied, and then ran for it.

"I AM NOT YOUR MOTHER!" Kelly screamed after him.

Dustin grinned, that never got old in his opinion.

Tori was waiting for him outside the garage, and Dustin didn't hesitate to sling his arm over her shoulders, "We should go," he said.

"Why?" Tori asked suspiciously.

"I may have angered Kelly," Dustin replied, propelling Tori down the alley. "She's so sensitive about being called mom."

Tori snorted as they came to the front of the store, "Want me to drive?" She asked.

"No," Dustin said, "there's a good café a couple of blocks over, near the university. I was planning to go there."

"Hey Dustin," Hunter came out the front of the store, "you forgot your backpack." He held it out.

"Thanks," Dustin said. He took the bag and slung it over his shoulder easily.

"What do you have in there, bricks?" Hunter asked.

"No," Dustin said, "books. I'm calling it an exercise program."

"I'd ask, but I need to get back to work." Hunter said.

"All right," Dustin replied. As Hunter headed back into the shop, Dustin couldn't help watching. Jeans might not have been leather but it was a pretty spectacular view.

"Dustin," Tori hissed when the door shut, "you were totally checking him out."

Dustin blushed, "No I wasn't."

"Yes you were," Tori replied, "my God, do you _like_ him?"

"No," Dustin said, "I was just…aesthetically admiring the view."

"You do," Tori said, "How did I not know this?"

"Because I haven't actually told anyone," Dustin replied, "Come on, food, Tori, this way."

"How long have you liked him?" Tori asked as she fell in beside Dustin.

"It doesn't matter, you know," Dustin said, he led Tori across the street and between two of the buildings, "He's dating Cam."

"Cam, our Cam?" Tori said.

"You didn't know? What did you think happened to Cam's hand? I mean, you hang out with Blake and Hunter, you didn't hear about the date from hell?" Dustin said.

"And from that you get that they're dating?" Tori replied.

Dustin waited until they were across the street before replying, "Tori, I came very close to walking in on them having sex. They don't know, I'm not telling them, but yes, I'm sure they're together." He led the way down another alley, "I'm not going to poach, ok?"

"Wait a minute," Tori reached out and stopped Dustin, "didn't you used to have a crush on _Cam?"_

"What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?" Dustin replied, not following her thoughts.

"You're jealous," Tori said, staring into his eyes. "You are totally jealous, you like them both and they're together."

"Tori, seriously," Dustin said, "I'm going to revoke your best friend privileges if you are going to persist in such nonsense."

"Fine, I'll stop," Tori replied, "but it is pretty suspicious. Now, where is this café of yours, I'm starting to get hungry."

"It's this way," Dustin replied, he led her out of the alley and onto what he had mentally termed Café Row. "Welcome to Rio's, home of the world's best salads and sandwiches."

"If you say so," Tori replied.


	15. Earth 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers

A/N: Yes, Tanya scripted his speech. I like blending the old and the new, what can I say? Also, I may have consistantly misspelled a word, but that's ok! And before you hate on me in your reviews, read ALL of the chapter and THINK about it, go watch the episodes again if you need to. This is set after Shane's Karma.

* * *

Dustin had never been comfortable seeking out his friends, but Tanya had said he need to do it, and her friend Ashley had told him to listen to his gut because he already knew when his friends needed to talk. So today, he hunted Shane down quietly, ducking out between classes to check various places Shane tended to retreat to when he needed to think, and declining an extra shift at Storm Chargers to talk Cyber Cam into finding Shane without telling anyone.

For some reason, Shane had gone to ground in the middle of the woods. As Dustin studied the place before approaching, he wondered what kind of house had been there, that it's only mark remaining was a half fallen chimney, the perfect backrest for an unhappy Air ninja. "This is where we met," Shane said, not even looking as Dustin approached. "When I was a kid, I found this place once. She looked like a glowing ball of light, and she was trapped. I freed her and let her go, and then forgot about it. Knowing what I've learned, she might have made me forget even. To protect me from Vexicus or something, I bet."

Dustin sat down across from his friend, leaning against a tree. "Maybe she did," he said, studying his friend.

"How'd you find me, anyway?" Shane asked.

"I just asked Cyber Cam," Dustin replied, rolling his eyes. "He'll probably tell Cam I asked, but at least he did it."

"I don't know whether to slug you or not," Shane said, "I did want to be alone."

"No you didn't," Dustin said, "Not really. You wanted to wallow, maybe, but you didn't want to be alone." He grinned at Shane's look, "I know you Shane, as well as you know me. Probably better, even."

"Whatever," Shane replied.

"Shane," Dustin said, "the way I see it, you have two options, you can talk to me and let it out, or you can be ambushed and dragged off to a doctor I know who would be happy to conduct a colonoscopy, or a prostate exam."

Shane arched an eyebrow, "You want me to talk? No can do, it has to be reciprocal."

"What, like twenty questions?" Dustin asked.

"Exactly," Shane replied, clearly pleased with the idea.

"Only if you go first," Dustin said after a moment.

"Deal," Shane said.

"How are you feeling about all this?" Dustin asked.

"It's strange," Shane said after a moment, "I'm not sure that I mourn for Skyla, but I feel bad. She died, or 'ascended to a higher plan of existence' and gave me all this extra power. On the one hand, I liked her, I would almost say that I fell for her at first sight, but on the other hand she was a stranger, and an alien one at that. I don't even know if she had any family."

Dustin nodded slightly, "All right. If Skyla had stayed, do you think you would have dated her if she was interested?"

Shane frowned, "I don't know, part of me wants to say yes, but then I keep remembering that she was an alien and I don't want to. I don't think it's that I'm xenophobic."

"Right," Dustin agreed. "Do you have those kinds of feelings for any of your other off world friends?"

"No," Shane said, "they're friends, all of them. We bonded over asteroid racing, but I'm not sure I want to go chasing into the stars after any of them."

"What attracted you to Skyla?" Dustin asked.

"She knew I was a Ranger," Shane said after a moment, "she was pretty and she could handle Vexicus. She wasn't afraid of battle, but she was willing to let me fight for her when she couldn't. She had her own sense of humor and a strong sense of self. She wouldn't be overwhelmed by my personality."

"What didn't you like about her?" Dustin asked.

"She had power I didn't," Shane said after another long moment, "she was an alien. She knew stuff I didn't and she seemed to hold that over me. Not like Cam does, but still, it felt like she was flaunting it. She felt superior for not being human to, I think. She was grateful for what I had done, but she didn't like Earth, or that I was from Earth."

"Did Skyla remind you of someone?" Dustin asked.

"There was this girl in high school I had a thing for," Shane said after another long moment, "Amanda. She was a cheerleader and really pretty, but she wouldn't have given me the time of day. I never asked her out, but I sometimes wish I did."

Dustin nodded, "All right, a big one, how do you feel about her dragging you into the fight with Vexicus?"

"She didn't," Shane protested, and then stopped, "what, wait?"

"Think about it," Dustin said, "really think about it; see if you see what I did after thinking about it." He leaned back and watched as Shane thought about it, hoping his friend would realize what had happened. He had talked this over with Ashley, and with Andros, Ashley's partner. Shane would have to come to his solutions on his own for this to work. To keep the pressure off Shane, he pulled one of his textbooks out of his backpack and opened it.

"She set me up," Shane said, looking up. Dustin closed his textbook and slipped it into his backpack as Shane's lips quirked. "She sent those dreams to bring me here; she knew I would come. She also knew that Vexicus was following her, she couldn't not know, not when he'd been after her before for her power. There wasn't a warning at all, just drawing me here to be attacked. I don't think she really meant for me to be hurt, but she did bring me here to fight Vexicus."

"How did it feel to have her die in your arms?" Dustin said, and watched his friend as the building anger became grief, but not as bad as it would have been.

"It was awful," Shane said, "I wanted to protect her, but in the end, there wasn't anything I could do, I still lost her. Dammit Dustin, what's the point of being a Ranger and protecting people if I couldn't have protected her?"

"I have one more question for right now," Dustin said, "Then you can ask ten."

"Ask away," Shane said.

"How does it make you feel if I told you that Karmanians bond to the person they chose to pass their power to, so that it's easier for the transfer to occur; that Karmanians become more vulnerable, the closer they are to Ascension, and the bond makes it easier to compel their receiver to protect them."

"They, she forced, what?" Shane said.

"The reason you feel so conflicted," Dustin began, "is because of a psychic link Skyla created with you to make it easier to give you her power. Among other things, it makes you like her and want to protect her. It's fading now, but it's tearing you up inside at the same time. I know it's fading because you could think about a woman other than Skyla. I spoke to Tanya about it, because you do have moments where you feel passionately about something, and I expected you to be hurting about Skyla. Tanya had been visiting with Ashley Hammond, the yellow Astro Ranger? Yeah, when Tanya heard I was talking aliens, she handed me over to Ashley, who got Andros, red Astro, to talk to me. Andros told me about the bond, he said that it would go away, but that it would go faster if you were aware of it."

"That's," Shane said, he shook his head, "I don't know what to think."

"Think of Skyla as a friend," Dustin advised him, he frowned, reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "She was in trouble," he continued, reading the paper, "and reached out to you to help. She'd put off changing to escape Vexicus, and when it didn't work, she panicked and called to you for help. You may not have saved her life like you wanted, but you helped her make sure that her gift went to who she wanted it to. It'll hurt less that way for now, and, with time, it will become enough."

"Nice speech," Shane said.

"Tanya wrote it," Dustin replied, folding the paper back up. "I may be a heart ninja and categorized under soul in the Yellow spectrum, but words are not my forte."

"Right," Shane said, "now it's my turn to ask questions."

Their morphers went off, "Go for Shane, and Dustin," Shane said promptly.

"If you two are done," Cam said dryly, "we could use a bit of help. Lothor has sent Motodrone, Kelzacks and a random monster downtown."

"We're on our way," Shane said, he stood and helped Dustin up. "Ready?" Shane asked and grinned at Dustin's nod.

"Ninja Storm," they said together, "Ranger Form."

"Power of Air!"

"Power of Earth!"


	16. Earth 16

Disclaimer; I do not own Power Rangers

A/N: This is the chapter that Dustin and Hunter sort of needed to have. Nothing's really resolved here, but we see them being guys. I almost made Dustin's grandfather a Ninja, but I decided I didn't want to deal with the fall out of that. I also explain that bowl I forgot about. Oh, this was set after Gem of a Day.

* * *

Dustin and Hunter raced each other through the woods with a recklessness that could not hide their worry. They kept to the paths out of habit, but flung themselves one after the other at speeds that were close to being too fast. Hunter, in the lead, raised his fist after a difficult part and pumped it before slowing down, Dustin followed suit. They pulled off the trail and parked, "What's up?" Dustin asked after he took off his helmet.

"Just needed some water," Hunter replied, suiting actions to words.

Dustin hung his helmet off his handlebars and waited until Hunter was done, "I just wanted to say thanks," he said.

"Thanks for what?" Hunter asked.

"Giving Cam the Gem of Soul fragments," Dustin replied, "I know how hard that must have been for you."

'How can you possible think that?" Hunter demanded.

"Because before last month, I hadn't seen my dad in over a year," Dustin replied. "He's also not the world's greatest at keeping in touch. Even with email, I'm lucky if he remembers to reply to anything I write to him. I love my dad, but it's hard when he forgets everything that's important about being a dad."

"I didn't know," Hunter replied.

"I don't talk about it," Dustin replied, with a shrug. With a growl, the skies opened up, startling Dustin, who hadn't even noticed it was clouding up.

"We should get back," Hunter said.

"My place is closer," Dustin replied, "we can park the bikes and dry off."

"Ok," Hunter nodded.

They put their helmets back on and Dustin kick started his bike again and took off, leading Hunter down the bath to the old creek bed that bisected the path. Instead of jumping it, or taking the turn, Dustin took Hunter down the bank and up the bed, following it to where the waist high walls dropped down. He popped out of the creek bed and charged up the hill to the wooden fence marking the back of his property. He found the gate and stopped.

Taking his key ring out, Dustin unlocked the gate and pushed his bike in, gesturing for Hunter to follow before closing the gate and making sure the lock reengage. "The bikes go in the barn," he told Hunter. They pushed the bikes over to the small building and Dustin pushed the door open. Once inside, he laughed.

"Barn?" Hunter repeated, glancing around.

"My dad called this our barn," Dustin replied, pulling his helmet off and dropping it on the work bench. "Because of all the horses we had in here." He pointed to the bikes.

Hunter frowned, and then chuckled, "I think I like your dad."

"We'd better run for the house," Dustin said, "we can dry off and drive over to Storm Chargers to let Kelly know where our bikes are."

"Drive? My truck is at the track," Hunter pointed out.

Dustin grinned, "We'll take my car. Come on, I want a sandwich." He pulled the big door shut and moved to open the side door, "Race you to the patio."

"Hey!" Hunter complained as Dustin took off running.

Dustin raced through the rain, following the familiar path across the lawn and slowed down as he hit the patio. Once he reached the portico, he relaxed and turned to find Hunter just behind him. "Mom's probably working late," he said, taking his keys back out, "and Sadie's at band camp." He reached for the door, but it swung open.

"Dustin, you and your friend come in out of the rain!" His mom said cheerfully.

"Mom?" Dustin said, barely remembering to keep moving, "I thought you had to work late?"

"Tonight's the dinner party," Shana Brooks replied, "remember?"

"Right," Dustin said, "I thought that was next week, sorry. Mom, this is Hunter Bradley, Hunter, this is my mom."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Brooks," Hunter said, offering his hand.

Shana took it and smiled, "Please to meet you Hunter. Dustin's told me some stories, so it's nice to put a face to the name. I understand you're into high speed suicide too."

Hunter glanced at Dustin, "She means motocross," Dustin said.

"Oh, yes, I am," Hunter said, "my brother Blake and I moved here to get a shot at going professional in fact."

Dustin put his hand on Hunter's shoulder, "We're going to go dry off, Mom. Is the kitchen off limits or can we get some sandwiches before we head into work?"

"The caterers won't show up for another half hour," Shana said, glancing at the clock, "so you have until then. Just don't eat anything in foil."

"Yes mom," Dustin said, urging Hunter passed his mom and towards the stairs. "My room's down here," he said, opening the door to the basement. He hit the switch to light the stairs and gestured Hunter to go down first.

"You sleep in the basement, in this house?" Hunter asked, glancing over his shoulder at Dustin.

Dustin winced slightly, "Wait until you see it," he told his friend.

They reached the landing and Hunter was able to see the space beyond, "Family room?" He guessed, looking up at Dustin.

"Not exactly," Dustin replied, he slipped past Hunter and trotted down the last few steps. "Do you want to change? I have some of Shane's red shirts and some shorts that should fit." He turned to study Hunter, the Thunder Ranger was taller and more muscular, but his grandmother was convinced that he was going to 'start growing' and bought clothes appropriate to the size she thought he should be.

"Sure," Hunter said, watching him with an odd look.

Dustin gestured, "Bathroom's through that door there. I'll leave the shorts and shirt by the door if you want a shower. I'll just run up and borrow the guest bathroom."

"Ok," Hunter replied, he headed into the bathroom.

Dustin shook his head and headed across the room and around the corner to his bedroom. He retrieved the red t-shirt and black cargo shorts from his closet as well as a yellow shirt and shorts for himself. Leaving Hunter's clothes, he headed upstairs, glad to find that his mom had retreated to her room to get ready. He showered, dressed and headed back towards the kitchen. "Dustin," Shana called before he reached the stars.

"Yeah Mom?" Dustin asked, turning to look at her.

"Are you ok?" Shana asked, "I know we don't talk a lot, but you've had a lot to say about Hunter when we do talk."

Dustin winced, "I'm fine," he said with a shrug. "We've settled our difference for the most part."

"If you say so," Shana replied, crossing her arms. She smiled at her son, "Does this mean that I should be expecting to see him around more often? He is cute."

"What? Mom, no!" Dustin yelped, "Hunter's a friend, _just_ a friend."

"Are you sure?" Shana asked.

"I'm _positive,_" Dustin replied firmly. "He's dating Cam, ok? It doesn't matter how hot he is, I don't poach."

"Oh honey, I'm just teasing," Shana said.

"Please, don't talk about this in front of Hunter." Dustin said, he glanced down stairs and frowned. _Was that a shadow?_ He looked back at his mom, "I'm going to grab some sandwiches for me and Hunter, and then we're going back to Storm Chargers. My friends and I are going to catch a movie, and then probably annoy Kelly and Blake until closing. I'll use the back entrance if your party's still going on."

"Ok sweetie," Shana said, she walked forward and gave him a brief hug and then held out some money, "Here, take your friends out on me, ok?"

Dustin reluctantly took the money and slipped it into his pocket, "Thanks mom. I'll see you later." He turned and bounced down the stairs before his mother could get any more ideas.

Hunter was in the kitchen with a glass in his hand, "I was going to get some water," he said.

"Sure," Dustin replied, "What do you want on your sandwich?" He opened the fridge and began to poke around.

"What are you having?" Hunter asked.

"Tuna salad," Dustin replied, finding the container he wanted. "We've got all sorts of deli meats, and cheeses."

"I'll just have tuna salad to," Hunter replied.

Dustin nodded and put the container on the counter with the mayonnaise. He got the bread out and plates and quickly made up the sandwiches, "Want some fruit?" He asked, grabbing an apple from the crisper as he put the tuna back.

"What do you have?" Hunter asked.

"Bananas, apples, oranges, assorted berries, pears, plums," Dustin poked around the drawer, "Looks like Janice is planning to make some of her famous fruit medley."

"Who?" Hunter asked.

"Housekeeper," Dustin replied.

"Oh. I'll take an orange," Hunter said.

Dustin grabbed the orange and put it on one plate, "Let's go downstairs," he suggested.

As soon as they got back downstairs, Dustin took the money from his pocket and shook his head, a hundred and fifty dollars. "What's that?" Hunter asked.

"My mom," Dustin replied, "trying to say 'I love you'." He put the money away and sat down.

"What's this?" Hunter asked as he wandered over to the big window.

"Don't," Dustin said, diving across the room. He blocked Hunter's hand. "That's my life bowl."

"Your what?" Hunter asked.

"Life bowl," Dustin said, he touched the bowl and tried not to think of how Hunter hovered over his shoulder. "It was a project we Earth Ninjas did back when we started to learn about our elements. I made the bowl, and the rocks, well, I collect them." He traced a finger over the tiger's eye, boulder opal, carnelian, red jasper, lapis lazuli, and then picked up the piece of jade. "Each stone means something to me," he said quietly, before putting the piece of jade in the last indentation. "The bowl is meant to reflect what's going on in my life. Each layer tells a story in a way." He rested his hands on the sides of the bowl, as if he were about to pick it up. "I've put energy in this bowl, Hunter. If you'd touched it, I don't know what would have happened. Tori," he traced the spot where the clay had run, "and Shane," he touched the miniscule crack on the other side, "got reactions. I'd hate to see what your element would do against mine."

"Sorry," Hunter said, he put his hand on Dustin's shoulder, "I'm bad about touching things."

Dustin turned to look up at Hunter "Don't worry about it," he said, trying to put a smile on his lips. Hunter stared back down at him, his blue eyes catching and captivating Dustin for a long moment.

A crash of thunder made Dustin jump and he slid away from Hunter, "Let's eat," he said with a touch of false gaity.


	17. Earth 17

Disclaimer: I still don't own Power Rangers.

A/N: This is the chapter where everyone kills me. Set the night after the big battle, before their graduation.

* * *

Dustin leaned his head back against the bed as he carefully eased out his leg, "Man, I am so sore," he moaned.

"I know," Shane replied from his spot in the room's recliner. Dustin could hear him hiss as the chair creaked, he'd probably rubbed his ribs wrong.

"I cannot move," Tori announced.

"I don't want to," Blake replied.

Dustin didn't need to look to know that the two Blue Rangers, former Blue Rangers, were lying side by side on the bed across from him. Probably with their hands together. The bed he leaned against shifted, "How did Hunter have the energy to get the pizza anyway?" Cam asked. Dustin wondered how the Green Ranger could sit up like that for a long moment, before dismissing it as part of the mystery of Cam.

"Does it matter?" Shane replied, "We didn't have to go."

Dustin turned his head so that the lamp didn't shine in his eyes, not sure that he could contribute to the conversation. He could feel sleep lurking in the shadows of his mind, but a nagging worry kept it at bay. Then the door to the hotel swung open and Hunter entered, "Pizza," he announced. Just like that, the worry was soothed away. Dustin pushed the thought away, not wanting to consider the implications of his feelings.

Dustin let his whole body go limp as the others moved, with the accompanying moans and groans, to claim a slice. Before he could fall asleep, however, someone loomed over him. He cracked an eye to find Hunter looking at him. "Wha'?" He mumbled.

"I brought you a slice," Hunter replied, holding out a napkin with pizza on it.

Dustin eyed the food for a moment then shook her head, "I'm not hungry yet," he said.

Hunter sat down beside him, Dustin's slice resting on his knee besides his own second slice. "You need to eat before you sleep," Hunter said. "You burned a lot of energy today."

"Fat," Dustin muttered.

"You don't have any to burn," Hunter replied, poking him in the side. "Come on Dustin, eat something."

"Give me a moment," Dustin replied.

"Don't fall asleep," Hunter told him.

Dustin leaned back and sighed. "Thanks for getting the pizza," Shane said.

"No problem," Hunter replied. "I wanted to work out my calf muscle anyway."

"We're all sore," Cam said, "in the morning, I'll break out the muscle balm to help out."

Dustin's eyes drifted closed and he shifted slightly, until his shoulder was lightly touching Hunter's. He smiled a little as he listened to Hunter and Cam talk.

HCDHCDHCDHCD

Hunter glanced beside him and blinked as Dustin's head came to rest on his shoulder. "Let him sleep," Cam said, "for a little bit."

"Right," Hunter replied, he carefully freed his arm enough to make it around Dustin's waist. He glanced around. Shane had passed out in the recliner, his shirt lifted enough to show the multi-colored bruises that littered his ribs. Blake had rolled on his side; in the half curl that Hunter knew meant he was asleep. His right ankle was wrapped in an ace bandage, and on the back of his neck was another nasty bruise. Hunter couldn't see Tori from his position, but he knew the water ninja was as bruised as the rest of them.

Cam grunted and Hunter looked back at him, the samurai was sitting on the edge of the bed. "You ok?" Hunter asked.

"Just a bathroom run," Cam replied, standing up carefully. His wrists were bandaged from the restraints Lothor had used. When the door shut, Hunter looked down at Dustin again. The Earth Ninja had bruises under his eyes and looked fragile; a huge contrast from earlier, when he had joined with Shane and Tori to shove Lothor into the abyss for good.

Hunter smiled gently, but let it vanish as a memory came back to him.

_Dustin stood at the top of the stairs in his home, looking away, "What? Mom, no!" Dustin yelped, "Hunter's a friend, _just_ a friend."_

"_Are you sure?" Mrs. Brooks had asked, barely audible, but clearly teasing._

"_I'm positive," Dustin replied firmly. "He's dating Cam, ok? It doesn't matter how hot he is, I don't poach."_

Hunter sighed; glanced to make sure Cam was still in the bathroom and dropped a light kiss on Dustin's forehead. He'd never expected to find two attractive men in Blue Bay Harbor that he was attracted to. He certainly didn't expect them to become his friends. _And I screwed everything up without even thinking about it._

* * *

_My girl's in the next room_

_Sometimes I wish it was you_

* * *

A/N2: First, I don't normally use lyrics, but this song (Lips of an Angel) has stood inspiration for the D/H/C triangle for some reason. Yes, this is the end of Dustin's arc. Before you kill me though, I would like to point out that we see Dustin again during Dino Thunder, so there will be more drama for Dustin. Also, Tori shows up in OO. And there's that story that I am telling no one about which will put the resolution to what Hunter's going to do.


	18. Song 1

Disclaimer: I still don't own Power Rangers

A/N: I have no idea how Kira's story is going to turn out. Like Dustin's, I'm starting with a vague idea and I'm just going to let the muse whisper in my ear.

* * *

Kira let herself into her house with a sigh, "I'm home," she called after hearing Candice in the kitchen.

"How was school, Kira?" Candice called back.

"Long," Kira replied as she started up the stairs. Upstairs, she headed down the hall and opened the door to her attic room. Two blurs, one blue and purple, the other pink and purple crashed into her, and they fell to the floor in a heap.

"Uh oh," a small voice whispered.

Kira took a moment to asses her body before looking up at her twin step siblings, Hannah in pink and purple and John in blue and purple. The brown hairs six year olds stood up, their blue eyes wide as they looked down at her. Kira picked herself up and looked from the twins to her room, then reached out to clamp a hand on each twin's shoulder. "Candice!" She yelled as she stormed back down stairs and into the kitchen, pushing the twins before her. "They were in my room, again!"

"Kira," Candice said as the twins ran to hug their mother. "They're just children."

"I don't want to hear it," Kira replied, "I'm sick of this! I've only asked you for one thing. Keep the twins out of my room. It can't be that hard, can it?" She flipped her hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms.

"Kira, you need to calm down," Candice said.

"Why?" Kira asked, "This is a gross invasion of my privacy, and it's not the first time." She pointed at the twins, "Keep them out of my room, Candice and I'll keep the peace. I told you that when you and dad got married and I'm trying to keep to my end of the bargain. You are failing miserably at yours."

"Kira," Candice tried again.

"Look, I've had a really long day," Kira said, "plus, I had to serve a detention. Can you at least _try_ to explain to them why they should stay out of my room?"

"I'll talk to them," Candice replied. "What did you have detention for?"

Kira felt her face flush as she remembered Principal Randal's words. "I _don't_ want to talk about it," Kira replied pointedly.

"Aren't there papers that need to be signed?" Candice asked.

"It's not like you're my mom or anything," Kira replied pointedly, "Dad will take care of it when he gets home."She walked out of the kitchen, and reflected as she climbed the stairs that this had been one of the better confrontations between her and her new stepmother. As Kira locked the door to the attic behind her, she wondered if her personal bet of a year was wrong. _Maybe Dad finally found someone who will stick around,_ she mused.

Dropping her backpack on her bed, Kira began to pick up the dolls her step brother and step sister had been playing with. Her mother had been a stewardess and had brought her dolls from everywhere in the world. Smoothing the clothes, Kira put them back on their shelf over her desk. Then she straightened the desk itself, where one of the pair had climbed to get the dolls. She bent over and started up her computer and let it boot up while she wandered through her room, cleaning up the clothes she'd cast aside looking for the perfect first day outfit.

Once the room was neat, Kira collected some lounging clothes and stepped into her bathroom. She pulled her shirt off and studied her bruises in the mirror. They weren't bad on her arms and shoulders, but she had one on her stomach that was no doubt a result of her introduction with the hood of Dr Oliver's jeep. Kira sighed and changed before heading out to curl up in her wing back chair with her acoustic guitar. She started playing scales that her mother had taught her before beginning to pick out a random melody.

It was a strong piece, with sharp, pounding notes and Kira remembered Conner. There was less depth in Conner than there was in a teaspoon, but there had been something. She remembered his hand on her shoulder blade after the fall, as if he was checking on her before his macho attempt to get help.

The piece changed, becoming lighter in some ways, without being bouncy, for Ethan, the computer geek. She'd liked him a bit; there was something genuine in Ethan that drew her to him. He had unexplored depths.

Kira stilled her guitar and laughed, because now she sounded like her father, the shrink. She bowed her head and began to play the song she'd been crafting and sang softly, _"Keep on trying, keep on searching, keep on dreaming, Cinderella. Your momma told you, he would find you, so keep on dreaming, Cinderella."_


	19. Song 2

A/N: I finally have some ideas about Kira's story. Hopefully, I can put together some good chapters out of this.

* * *

Kira slammed her locker shut as the late bell rang, she clenched her fist and cursed, a bad day was rapidly spiraling into worse. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and began to power walk down the hall; she didn't need another detention for running in the halls. She shrugged the second strap of her backpack over her other shoulder as she reached the door to the stairwell. With one hand on the stairwell for balance, she began to run up the stairs two at a time, mentally preparing her excuse for Dr O. She was so caught up in her own thoughts, Kira failed to notice the person waiting for her at the top of the stairs.

She noticed him, however, when she ran into him, "I'm sorry," Kira began, looking up. The rest of her words caught in her throat.

"Kira," Kenneth Martin said, giving her his trademark grin, "you look good. Did you enjoy the rest of your summer?"

"It was fine," Kira replied uneasily. She stepped to the left, to go around, and Kenneth followed suit. Kira tried to duck left, only to find her path blocked again. "Are we going to dance, or are you going to get out of my way?" Kira finally demanded.

"I don't know," Kenneth replied, shoving his wild sandy colored hair from his eyes, "I like _dancing._" He leaned forward, "I especially enjoy _slow_ dancing."

Kira fought the instinct to blush tooth and nail; unfortunately it didn't work. "Sorry," she told Kenneth as she moved down a step, "But my dance card is full." She took a breath and then bolted past Kenneth.

With the skill that made Kenneth the best hockey goalie in the district, he grabbed her arm, "Come on, Kira, it's just fun, you know that."

"I told you," Kira replied, "I'm not interested in your version of fun anymore. I was once and it was a mistake. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to class."

Kenneth's eyes darkened and his face took on an ugly cast, "You don't want to refuse me, Kira Ford. I can make things _very_ nasty for you if you do."

Kira rested her free, left hand on her right shoulder, just above Kenneth's grip, "Go to hell." She snarled, and then jammed her thumb into the base of Kenneth's fingernail. Kenneth yelped and let go of her hand.

"Next time, you'll understand what no means," Kira told him, and then left the stairwell. Thank fully, she made it into Dr O's class before Kenneth could follow her.

"Ms. Ford," Dr Oliver said as Kira leaned against the door for a minute. "I'm sure you have a legitimate reason for being late?"

"Does 'my step siblings snuck into my room while I was showering leading to a fight with my stepmother about it' count?" Kira asked, mentally shoving all thoughts of Kenneth into a box and shoving it away from her. She could handle Kenneth, but Dr O was proving to be frighteningly observant and she didn't want him to know.

"Have a seat," Dr O said, "you get a free pass today, but if you're tardy again this month you'll wind up in detention."

"Yes sir," Kira said and hurried to her seat.

"That rule applies to everyone here," Dr O added, "now that you know how to _find_ my classroom, you have one day where you can be tardy with a legitimate reason every month. If you abuse that right, or are late for a frivolous reason, you will still serve detention."

Kira pulled her science book out while Dr O began his lecture. She glanced up at Conner and Ethan through her lashes, Ethan was looking at Dr O, but Conner was watching her. Kira looked down at her book, glancing at her neighbor's book long enough to find out what page they were on. No one would know about Kenneth, Kira thought firmly, she could handle him herself. Kira pulled out her pen and notebook and looked up at Dr O, trying to appear attentive. However, instead of taking notes, she idly wrote down something else. _"They called him charming; you thought he was a prince; but could you love him; when he stole your innocence."_


	20. Song 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers

A/N: The bruise came when he grabbed her arm in the last chapter...

* * *

Kira frowned at her reflection in the window and tugged slightly at the band above her elbow. It wasn't a perfect disguise, but it would work to cover the bruise Kenneth had left. "Kira?"

Kira turned, a smile slipping over her face, "Hey Conner, what are you doing here?"

Conner tucked his hands in his jeans and shrugged, "Broke one of my laces, and I need another if I'm going to play soccer."

"All right," Kira said, she tilted her head slightly, "Are you ok?"

Conner sighed, "I didn't make the Wave."

"I'm sorry," Kira replied, impulsively putting her hand on Conner's arm. "I know how important soccer is to you."

"Yeah," Conner replied, "but, I'm kind of glad that I didn't."

"Why is that?" Kira asked. "Mind if we walk and talk? I don't have a lot of time to get my errands done."

"Sure," Conner said. The pair started down the street, "Remember that girl that the Tyranodrones were menacing during that fight with the freaky bird?"

"Yeah, you stopped to help her." Kira replied as she studied her nails.

"Seeing her after the fight, knowing she was ok because _I_ was the one to help her, it made me realize that I like being a Ranger." Conner replied as he stepped around a woman heading the other way.

"I've done my share of volunteering," Kira said, "I know what it feels like to experience that." She fell silent and Conner did as well. They wandered down the street, taking it in turns to study the high end clothes in the windows and each other. Finally, they reached the end of the street and crossed into the open air mall that stretched along the picturesque water front. "So, I know you have a twin brother," Kira said, "and sisters?"

"No," Conner replied, "there's the sports shop."

"Ok," Kira said, adjusting her path to match his.

"What about you?" Conner asked.

"I'm an only child," Kira replied, "but since my dad remarried this past summer, I've acquired a pair of step-siblings; twins, in fact, a boy and a girl."

"So your parents are divorced?" Conner asked.

"Not exactly," Kira replied as they reached the shop.

Conner held the door for her, "Sorry," he said, "I didn't think."

"It's ok," Kira replied, "sometimes, I think it would have been easier."

She glanced around the store as Conner headed for the back, it looked like a specialty store of some sort and Kira hurried to catch up to Conner. "What kind of store is this?" She asked as he began to look at a rack of shoe laces.

"Hmm, oh," Conner grinned at her sheepishly, "Ultimate specializes in football, baseball, basketball and soccer, although they have lacrosse and rugby supplies to. Jamie, he's the owner, says that his goal is to provide high quality supplies for any sport played on two feet with a ball. This is the kind of equipment the pros use." He picked up a pair of red and white laces and turned, "I'd love to get shoes from here, but they're a little too expensive for me."

Kira glanced at the shoe selection and nodded, "Maybe you should ask your parents for a Christmas present. That's what I did to get my guitar."

Conner shrugged, "Maybe." He led the way over to the counter where a dark haired man waited for them, "Jamie, my friend, how's the store treating you?"

"Excellent, Conner," the man replied with an accent Kira couldn't place. "I just got a new shipment of cleats from my supplier. Perhaps I could interest you?"

"Not today," Conner replied, "I just came to get some laces." He put his laces on the counter.

"Always with the red, my friend, never any other color," Jamie said with a grin. "Perhaps I should think you are a Power Ranger, eh?"

"Me?" Conner said, as Kira froze, "A Power Ranger? Not happening. Soccer come first, it always has, always will."

Kira had to admit she admired her friend's ability to lie, "Then is this your girlfriend? I am sure she will not appreciate hearing this," Jamie said, indicating her.

Kira laughed, "Not hardly, we're just sort-of friends. Our science teacher has us working on a project together." Of course, Kira had her own ability to lie. "I'm Kira."

"Kira, I am Jamie, tell me, do you play a sport?" Jamie leaned on the counter and grinned at her.

"I used to play lacrosse," Kira replied, "but I'm a musician." She really didn't like this guy, hopefully, she'd never see him again after today.

"Jamie, how much for the laces? I don't have much time," Conner said.

"Sorry, Conner, how rude of me," Jamie said, he scanned the laces and tapped his register for a minute. "Seven dollars and forty-two cents," he announced.

Conner sucked in a breath and pulled out his wallet, he took out a card and handed it over to Jamie, "There, just run it as a credit card please." Seeing Kira's look, he said, "It's a prepaid debit card. My grandmother likes to send me money. She has the other one so it's easier all around."

"Oh," Kira replied.

The machine beeped, "I'm sorry, Conner," Jamie said, "your card is not going through. Perhaps you'd like to pay cash."

"I don't have any, what do you mean it's not going through?" Conner said.

"It means it isn't working." Jamie replied.

Kira reached out to put her hand on Conner's, "I can loan you the money."

Conner glared at her before seizing her elbow and dragging her back from the counter, "I don't need your help," he said quietly.

"I know _that,_" Kira replied irritably, "I just thought I'd offer to help you out." She paused, then followed Conner's gaze down to her elbow. The band covering the bruise had been pulled down by Conner's grip.

"Kira," Conner said, looking up at her.

Kira freed her arm with a quick yank, "I'm fine, Conner. It's nothing I can't handle," she said. She pulled her wallet from her back pocket and took out a ten, "Get your imported laces, ok? You can pay me back. I have to go." She shoved the money into Conner's hand and bolted, fixing the band back as she did so. Her irrepressible mind whispered, _You freed a dragon who shattered every dream._


	21. Song 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers, sorry.

A/N: New Chapter!

* * *

Kira jerked awake at the sound of a closing door, she sat up from the couch and rubbed her eyes, "Kira?" Her dad asked. He stood in the front entrance, suit wrinkled but the tie still in its proper place, coat over one arm and a suitcase in his hand.

Kira turned and smiled, "Hi dad," she said, standing up, "how was your trip?"

"It went well," Gerald Ford replied, he put down his suitcase, and brushed his hand over his short, blond hair. "You should be in bed."

"I know," Kira replied as she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, "I wanted to talk to you."

Gerald sighed, "Let me put my coat up, ok? We aren't going to talk long, you have school tomorrow."

Kira smiled, "Thanks dad."

Gerald put his coat in the closet, "Come, let's go in my study, there's less chance of waking Candice and the twins."

"Ok," Kira said. She followed her dad into his well appointed study and dropped gracelessly onto one of the overstuffed, blue chairs he kept there. Watching him, she tucked her feet under her and hugged the decorative pillow to her chest.

Gerald slipped off his suit jacket and loosed his tie before sitting in the other chair, "Now, what's so important?" He asked leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees.

Kira shrugged her shoulder slightly, "I just," she paused, gathering her thoughts, "do you remember when we had that talk last year about choices, about making them and dealing with them, good or bad?"

"Yes," Gerald said watching her with a steady gaze.

"The Power Rangers," Kira said, "why do you think they do it? I mean, they go through a lot to keep their identities secret, and I don't understand why."

"Maybe to them it's worth it," Gerald replied, he sat back up and sighed; "I can't claim to understand the Power Rangers, Kira, but I think it's like my work for the FBI before you were born. I can't always talk about the work I did, but it was worth it. You are worth it. What brought this on, by the way?"

"I'm taking a psychology class," Kira lied, suddenly wishing she hadn't decided to have this chat with her dad; "we were having a debate and it just got me thinking. What do you think would happen if their identities were revealed?"

"Well," Gerald replied, "I think that once the shock and awe faded, they'd be the recipients of a great number of law suits."

"What, why?" Kira asked, startled.

"Wrongful death," Gerald said, "because there have been some deaths."

"Three," Kira agreed. "They couldn't get out of the way in time." She fell silent, unwilling to admit that she knew the names of those three. She knew who their families were. She had clipped their pictures from the newspapers to hide in the bottom of her guitar case.

"Destruction of property," Gerald added. "Those machines of theirs are no joke."

"Biozords," Kira corrected, and flinched. That was too much information.

"Kira," Gerald began.

"Dad, please don't ask." Kira said softly, looking her dad straight in the eye, "I don't want to lie to you."

Gerald bit his lip as he looked at her, his blue eyes dark with worry. "You'll be careful?" He asked.

"I will be as careful as I possibly can," Kira replied.

"Lawyer," Gerald accused with a slight grin.

"Soldier," Kira retorted, smiling back.

"So, do I need to kill Kenneth?" Gerald asked, "I know you two broke up."

"My dad, the spy," Kira said dryly. She paused for a moment, "Actually, I might need your help to hide the body."

Gerald laughed, "Go to bed, Kira. We'll discuss your homicidal impulses tomorrow."

"Yes dad," Kira said. She stood up and hugged her dad. As she walked out of the room, Kira was well aware of her father's eyes watching her go. Almost absently, she began to hum softly, _Keep on searching, keep on trying, keep on dreaming, Cinderella._


	22. Song 5

Disclaimer; Sorry, I don't own Power Rangers

A/N: In 'Wave Good Bye', Kira is seen with a drummer and a second guitarist on stage. I'm pretending there is a keyboardest...

* * *

Kira idly played the melody for Cinderella as she watched her band finish taking down their instruments. Wesley, a year ahead of the other three, let them play in the basement of his townhouse, but they had to get their things packed away before his roommates got home so that they wouldn't have a reason to cause trouble. "Hey Kira," Wesley said as he put his guitar in its case. "Can I talk to you in private?"

"Sure," Kira said, she put her guitar in its case and followed him upstairs, "What's up?"

Wesley led Kira out of the kitchen and into the living room, "Normally, I wouldn't say anything, Kira, because it isn't my place."

"But," Kira prompted.

"I know you had a bad summer, what with your dad and all, but getting together with Kenneth was the worst idea you've ever had," the Asian guitarist said. He crossed his arm and raised his eyebrow, "And you know I've seen some of your 'better' ideas."

"That's why I broke up with him," Kira replied, "and don't you dare start talking about those ideas, I remember a few of my own."

"That just made it worse," Wesley said, waving his hand in dismissal of her threat. "He's real mad about you dumping him."

"I can handle him," Kira said, "no one touches me unless I let them."

"But can you stop him from talking?" Wesley replied. "My brother Sam plays hockey with Kenneth, and Sam told me he was running his mouth about you."

"Sam still has a crush on me, doesn't he," Kira asked with a sigh.

"Yes and you'd best be glad of it," Wesley replied, "Kira, if Kenneth's big mouth starts running at school, people are going to think you're the easiest slut in town."

"What!" Kira yelled.

"Exactly," Wesley replied.

"Can I kill him?" Kira demanded.

"Not yet," Wesley replied, "people are still expecting him to show up places." Kira smiled at her friend, remembering how he'd looked after her for years. "Now, I don't know what you can do to get him off your back. Maybe that jock of yours could do something about that."

"_Conner?"_ Kira demanded. "Please, as good a fighter as Conner thinks he is, Kenneth's got the size and weight on him. I wouldn't bet on Conner."

"No praise for your new best friend?" Wesley asked in a bitter tone.

Kira stiffed, "Wes," she breathed, "I-I" she stopped and took a deep breath, "Conner is not my 'new best friend'. I told you, we're working on a project for Dr O with Ethan. It's college prep."

Wesley sniffed softly, "Kira, you've had more bruises this year than you have since you dropped lacrosse."

"Oh God," Kira sunk down on Wesley's couch and covered her face, "Why do I have a best friend like you?"

"Because you deserve it," Wesley replied, he sat down beside her, "Want to tell me what's going on?"

"I can't," Kira replied, "I wish I could, but I can't. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone."

"Kira," Wesley said.

Kira turned and took Wesley's hand in her own, "Wesley, I promise you, I chose to do this. It's important, more important than anything I've ever done before, except the band. There are big consequences if I, if _we_ fail, but I can live with that. I'm living with it. Right now, Conner and Ethan are a big part of my life because they have to be. I don't know if you can accept that, but I hope you can."

Wesley looked in Kira's eyes for a very long moment, "When this is over, are you going to tell me everything?"

Kira smiled, "Of course. I'll tell you the minute it's over."

"Then I'll trust you, and I won't say anything to anyone." Wesley said, "Now, you'd better go."

"What did I do to make Matt hate me anyway?" Kira asked.

"I think he's jealous," Wesley said, "I mean, you are a hot rocker chick and you won't give him the time of day."

"I'd give him the time of day," Kira replied, "but I won't date him."

"Exactly," Wesley said. He sat back, "What is that song you're fiddling with? You seem to be pretty focused on it."

Kira shrugged, "It's just something. Bits and pieces really, it hasn't become a song yet."

"Can I hear some of it?" Wesley asked.

Kira smiled, "Sure," she said. She took a deep breath, "You never dreamed that Prince Charming was the one you must defeat. You never thought your white knight was the dragon you must slay."

"That's really good," Wesley said.

"Thanks," Kira replied, she turned her head and saw the clock. "Shit," Kira said, "I'm late."

"Project stuff?" Wesley asked.

"Project stuff," Kira agreed. She slung her guitar over her shoulder as she stood up, "I'll see you later, Wes."

"Take care of yourself, Kira," Wesley replied.

On an impulse, Kira kissed his cheek and then headed for the door, "Later!" She called as she opened the door. Grinning at the dark haired man coming up the stairs, Kira boosted herself over the porch railing, landing beside her bike. "Bye Matt," She added with a wave.


	23. Song 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers.

* * *

Kira shook her head as Ethan chased Conner up the stairs from the Lair, "Kira, do you have a minute?"

Kira turned to look at her mentor, "Yeah, Dr O? What's up?"

"Conner told me you had a bruise on your arm," Dr O began.

"He told you," Kira said, flatly, cutting Dr O off.

"He was worried about you," Dr O said.

"I told him it was nothing," Kira replied, lifting her hands up towards her shoulders. "I handled it."

"Kira, if there's something going on at home," Dr O began.

"What, no!" Kira said, stunned. "Dr O, it's nothing, ok. Some guy tried to grab me. I made him let go and got away. The only reason he wasn't bleeding is because I keep my nails short. I covered it up because I knew that people would make a big deal out of it."

"Are you sure?" Dr O asked.

"I'm sure," Kira replied. "Trust me, I can handle myself. My dad was a Marine before he retired and he was teaching me self defense before I was old enough to know what self defense was. I'm not so good yet at handling Mesogog and his freak parade, but an ordinary human is well within my capabilities."

"All right," Dr O said, "I'll trust you, but Kira, if you ever feel that you can't handle something, you know you can tell me, right?"

"Right," Kira agreed, "is that all, or can I go now?"

"Actually," Dr O said, "there's someone I want you to meet; she couldn't come to Reefside at the moment, so I'm going to show you how to use the communication system. All the retired Rangers have one, so that we can keep track of the important stuff."

"Ok," Kira said. She thought for a moment and nodded, "I have time right now, but I can't stay too late, or I'll miss dinner." She sighed, "Not that I'd mind, but Candice would be upset and tell dad, and he'd be _very_ disappointed with me."

"All right," Dr O said, "the comm.'s over here." He led her into an alcove off the Lair where a desk had been wedged before a large screen. "Answering a call is very simple," Dr O said, "just sit here, and touch the blinking blue symbol. That means it's a live message. If the symbol is green, it's a recording. If the symbol is red, that means it's an emergency and you'd better answer the call. You can ignore blue and green symbols if you want, but never ignore a red. It could be a matter of life or death."

Kira nodded, "Blue is a call, green is a text, red is an emergency," she said, "I got that."

Dr O sighed, "Now, to make a call is a bit more difficult, first, you touch the screen, it doesn't matter where."

Kira reached forward and placed her finger on the clear material. The screen lit up with a dozen alien signals that flickered on and off for a while before a single word appeared, _Identify._

"Tell it your name, color, team," Dr O supplied in a soft voice.

"Kira Ford," Kira said clearly, "Yellow, Dino Thunder."

_Identity confirmed,_ the screen read. _Name Planet._

"Tell it Earth," Dr O prompted her.

"Earth," Kira said.

_Name Person,_ the screen read.

"Tanya Sloan," Dr O said, "Yellow Zeo."

"Tanya Sloan," Kira repeated, "Yellow Zeo."

The screen changing again, _Connecting._ It began to blink. "It'll talk a bit to connect," Dr O said, "Depending on if Tanya or Adam is home."

A few minutes later, the screen went blank, and then revealed a man of Dr O's age, looking tired and slightly annoyed, "Oh," he said, as Tommy leaned over Kira's shoulder. "It's you. Hold on." He vanished from the screen, but his call could be heard, "Tanya, the color thief wants to talk to you."

"Color thief?" Kira asked, glancing up at Dr O.

Dr O coughed, "That was Adam Park, former black and green ranger. He maintains that I stole his color when I became the black ranger."

"Now Tommy," a woman said before appearing on screen, "You know Adam does that to get under your skin."

"Duh," Tommy replied. "Kira, this is Tanya Park, one of your predecessors. Tanya, this is Kira. I'll leave you two to talk."

"Ok," Kira said, looking from the screen to Dr O and back again.

Tanya laughed, "Don't worry, Kira. I just asked Tommy to introduce us because I thought you might need someone to talk with. I mean, I was Tommy's teammate too."

"Really?" Kira said, "Was he always that absentminded?"

"It's gotten better," Tanya replied.

Kira grinned and leaned forward, "You have to tell me some stories, _please._ Anything good you can give me that will protect us from his pop quizzes."

"Pop quizzes," Tanya repeated, and then brightened, "Oh, you're one of his _students._ I forgot that part. You will have to tell me all about that, Tommy was such an indifferent student, I can't picture him as a teacher."

"Story for story," Kira replied firmly.

"Deal," Tanya replied.


	24. Song 7

Disclaimer; I do not own Power Rangers

A/N: The original version featured Kira kicking Kenneth in the balls...but I decided I needed to tourment them just a little more before that scene.

* * *

Kira had nearly forgotten Kenneth by the next time she ran in to him, this time in Reefside Park after school. She hadn't really been paying attention because she was still trying to accept the fact that Dr O was official a giant pillar of amber, like a statue. And she was running late for dinner when he stepped right in front of her. Kira didn't see him before she crashed into him and fell.

"Careful Kira," Kenneth said mockingly, "You could get hurt if you aren't watching where you're going."

Kira looked up at him, but the rage he had inspired in her ever since school had started wasn't there. She stood up, leaving her things on the ground, and looked at him, lifting her chin and meeting his eyes head on. "Once upon a time," she told him with a smirk, "I used to think you were my biggest problem. Then I realized that in the grand scheme of things, you aren't worth worrying over. After all, you're just a kid who thinks spreading rumors and innuendo is smart. But with giant monsters running about and Power Rangers, there are more important things to worry about a pathetic little boy."

Kenneth's eyes narrowed with anger and he started lift his hand. "You little…" he began.

Kira adjusted her stance and lifted her hands, "You keep trying to be a man," she told Kenneth, "But every time you raise your hand to a woman, you'll lose just be that much less of a real man. And if you've never done it before, then you don't want to start with me. I'm not helpless, I'm not powerless, and it would take a far better man than you to take that from me."

"Keep telling yourself that, Kira," Kenneth replied as he lowered his hand with a sneer. "One day, the whole world is going to know just what kind of person you are."

Kira laughed as she stepped towards him, "Let them figure it out," she said, "on the day that happens, you are going to be left standing in the shadows. No one will know who you are, and no one will care."

Kenneth stared at her, "Kenny?"

Kira glanced to her right to find a girl, probably about ten years old, watching them, "Hey Heather," she said, smiling at Kenneth's little sister.

"Hi Kira," Heather replied, "Are you two going to kiss?"

Kira took a step back, "No," she told Heather, with a slight shudder. "It was nice to run into you, Kenny." She added.

She picked up her backpack and guitar case, then moved around Kenneth. "See you around, Kira," Kenneth replied.

Kira waited until she was out of sight of Kenneth and Heather before she broke into a run. She didn't want to hang around for the aftermath of that little confrontation. Kenneth would retaliate, and he would do so in a way that the whole school would do his dirty work.

She crossed the park and jogged up the street to her house, shoving her memory of Kenneth into the recesses of her brain. Taking a deep breath, she focused on her cover and opened the door, "Dad, I'm home!" She called as she walked inside. She put her backpack and guitar down by the foyer table and headed towards the kitchen, "You would not believe," she added, "I got stuck at the Cyber Café after rehearsal by that monster…" her voice trailed off as she walked into the kitchen. Candice was crying. The twins weren't in the room. Her dad was holding a piece of paper and looked unnaturally pale. "What's going on?" Kira asked.

"Kira, it's cancer."


	25. Song 8

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get out, but hey, I won NaNo!

* * *

"Kira," Conner began.

"Look," Kira said, "it's a family emergency. I'm only going to be gone for two days. I'm fairly certain you can look after things for two days." She walked down the stairs to the Lair carefully, "I'm not going to refuse to go."

"We need you here," Conner said.

"Hi Hailey," Kira added, trying not to stare at Dr O's amber prison. "Any luck?"

"Not yet," Hailey replied, looking up at them in surprise. "Is school over all ready?"

"Yes," Kira said, "I just wanted to check on things before I left tomorrow. It's a family emergency."

"Is everything all right?" Hailey asked.

Kira sighed, "My sister hasn't been feeling well, and so she went to the doctor." Kira sank down on one of the folding chairs, ignoring Conner who looked guilty. "She just got the tests back. She has cancer. I'm going to see her and my dad's driving me."

"I didn't know you had a sister," Hailey commented.

"Half-sister," Kira said, "from my mom's first marriage."

"I don't see why you have to go now," Conner said, "can't you wait until Dr O's out of the amber at least?"

"No," Kira replied, "I can't wait."

"Conner," Hailey said, "I think you should go. All you're going to do is wind up Kira and I am too tired to have to deal with this."

Conner looked at the two of them, and then turned and stormed back up the stairs, muttering under his breath. "I don't know what his problem is," Kira said, "but I wish he'd get over it." She looked at Hailey, and frowned, "When did you last get some sleep?"

"I'm waiting on these test results," Hailey replied.

"You're falling asleep," Kira retorted. She glanced at the computer, "Look, these results, if that download box is accurate, aren't going to be ready for a couple of hours. Go crash on Dr O's couch. I'll stay down here and make sure the computer doesn't blow up."

"I need to be here," Hailey said.

"You need to sleep," Kira replied, "you're too tired, Hailey. What if you make a mistake because you can't keep your eyes open?"

Hailey frowned, "But, the tests."

"I'll be down here," Kira replied. "I needed to talk to Tanya privately. If the computers so much as beep, I'll come wake you up."

"I'm sorry," Hailey said and yawned.

"It's ok," Kira said, she took Hailey's arm, "Come on, and let's get you up stairs." She gently coaxed Hailey upstairs to the couch and left her curled up under a green and white throw.

With a sigh, Kira returned downstairs and over to the communications device. In moments, she was connecting with Tanya's device. "Park residence?"

It was Adam, "Hi Mr. Park," Kira said, nervously, "Is Tanya there?"

"She is," Adam replied, "Kira, how many times do I have to ask you to call me Adam?"

"At least once more," Kira replied cheekily.

"Where's the good doctor, he's usually looming over you," Adam said.

Kira bit her lip, "He's kind of stuck at the moment, in amber?"

"In amber?" Adam repeated, leaning forward slightly, "Do tell."

"Well, there's an evil White Ranger," Kira said, and then hesitated. When Adam nodded, she continued, "And he stole on of Dr O's devices and when Dr O went to take it back, he discovered that the White Ranger had reconfigured the device with some other technology to create an amber prison. It's been two days and Hailey hasn't cracked it yet."

Adam huffed a breath, "Kira, can you do me a big favor?"

"What?" Kira asked.

"Can you take some pictures of Tommy trapped in the amber?" Adam asked.

"Why?" Kira asked.

"Jason, Rocky and I have a scrap book of Tommy's misadventures," Adam replied, "we'd like to add to it."

Kira hesitated, then nodded, "I'll do it later though. I really need to talk to Tanya first."

"Of course," Adam said, he looked away and smiled, "here she is now." He left the screen and Tanya appeared.

"Hi Kira," Tanya said.

"Hi Tanya," Kira replied.

"What are you up to?" Tanya asked.

"Well, your husband talked me into getting pictures of Dr O the amber statue," Kira replied dryly.

Tanya laughed, "I can't wait to see those. Hailey told me what happened."

Kira tucked her feet underneath her, "That isn't why I wanted to talk to you though."

"Oh," Tanya said, "what's wrong?"

"I just found out my sister has cancer," Kira said. "Well, technically she's my half-sister. My mom married right out of high school to some rich guy. She came from the same kind of social circles as the guy, but she was different. She had two kids, a boy and a girl, and then divorced their dad. She became a flight attendant, met my dad and got married again. My sister got a degree in fine arts before she married her husband."

"I'm sorry about your sister," Tanya murmured.

"The thing is," Kira said, "is she has to have a hysterectomy because of the cancer."

"Ouch," Tanya winced, "does she have any kids?"

"None," Kira replied. "I had an idea, but, it may be tacky and I wanted to get a second opinion."

"What idea?" Tanya asked.

"In a few years," Kira said, "I want to offer to be a surrogate for my sister."

"Kira, that's a wonderful idea," Tanya replied, "It's not tacky at all."

"I'm just afraid to say anything," Kira said, "wouldn't it be like I was flaunting the fact that I don't have to have a hysterectomy?"

"Not at all," Tanya said. "Not so long as you do it in private, just you and your sister, and not the day she has the surgery."

"If you say so," Kira replied.

"I do say so," Tanya said firmly.

"Thanks," Kira said, slumping down in her seat.


	26. Song 9

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own Power Rangers.

A/N: I didn't realize how slowly this story was moving until I started to put it together here.

* * *

"If it isn't my favorite rock star," a most unwelcome voice drawled.

Kira shut her locker and glared at Kenneth, she was in no mood to deal with him today. Her sister was having surgery, Dr O was stuck in his morph, Conner had been an annoying idiot earlier and Trent was still evil. "What do you want?" She asked.

"What do I always want?" Kenneth replied, "You."

"Sorry," Kira replied, slinging her backpack over her shoulder, "not available."

"Come on, Kira, what would it hurt for you to just be a little more friendly?" Kenneth asked.

Kira eyed him for a minute and shook her head, "Not interested, Kenneth." She turned and started to walk away. He grabbed her arm and yanked her around, "Let me go," Kira ordered.

"You don't get to walk away from me again," Kenneth replied.

"Hey Kira," Ethan said appearing beside her, he glanced at Kenneth and then back at Kira. "I was wondering if you'd gotten that paper done for Dr Oliver. Conner said he was having trouble with parts of it."

Kira smiled, "Excuse me," she said to Kenneth and pulled her arm free. "But I have class to get to." She turned to Ethan, "Actually, I was going to ask you about that," she said. "Let's head to class and discuss it."

"Are you sure?" Ethan asked carefully.

"Yeah," Kira said as she walked away from Kenneth. "The bell's about to ring and I was done with that conversation anyways."

They turned a corner and Kira sighed with relief, "What was that about?" Ethan asked.

"That was my psycho ex boyfriend," Kira replied. "Thanks for the save."

"He looked pretty mad," Ethan commented as he glanced behind them.

"I specialize in outraging him," Kira replied. "I broke up with him, he can't accept it. It's a tragedy."

"He looked like he was going to hurt you," Ethan said nervously.

"Well," Kira replied, "he can _try_ to hurt me, but I know I can handle him." She pushed her sleeve up to inspect her arm where he'd grabbed her. "Darn," she said, "that's going to bruise."

"Are you sure you're ok?" Ethan asked.

"I'm sure, Ethan," Kira replied. "Kenneth has been giving me a hard time all year. Pretty soon he's going to cross the line and I'm just going to go medieval on him and get suspended from school."

"You should tell Dr O," Ethan said.

Kira sighed. "I would if I could, Ethan, but Dr O's sick right now, it's not like he could just come to school and follow me around like a body guard." For a brief moment, she had a vision of her walking down the hall followed by the black ranger.

"He can talk to the school system," Ethan said, "and get Kenneth dealt with. If he's left bruises, you'd have an assault case."

Kira flicked a glance around for listening ears, "Ethan, Kenneth is like a stray Tyranodrone in a Zord Fight. He's not worth worrying about with all the things we have to do, and besides, we might could just step on him and solve all our problems magically."

"Kira," Ethan said and stopped her, "You need to tell someone. I know you can take care of yourself, but what if something happens and Kenneth corners you where you can't defend yourself."

"I'm way ahead of you, Ethan," Kira said and started walking again. "My dad knows and he's got people watching Kenneth."

"Really? What does your dad do?" Ethan asked.

"He works for a security and investigation business," Kira replied. "People say he's a mercenary, but he's not really. He was a Marine right out of high school and then went to work for the FBI when he and my mom got married. Dad's mentor was Uncle John; they worked together until I was five, when Uncle John retired. When Mom got sick, Uncle John offered Dad a spot at his business. Dad's become Uncle John's second and will probably take over in the next few years."

"So that's where you learned to fight?" Ethan asked.

"My dad was teaching me self defense before I knew what that meant," Kira replied as they reached the science lab. "Don't worry, Eth, I can handle Kenneth. I just have to make sure I don't get suspended for doing it."


	27. Song 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers

A/N: Every once in a while, I actually explore the specifics of the Ranger's colors and personalities. This is one of those times. Also, this is MY version of the power/personality corrolation.

* * *

"Hey Kira," Tanya said, "how's it going?"

Kira shrugged, "Well, Trent's on our side now," She spun the office chair in a circle, "but now we're dealing with his clone."

Tanya snorted, "Clone? You know, that list of Tommy's isn't a checklist for all rangers to follow."

Kira grinned slightly, "Conner's still not over Trent tricking him though. I think he's jealous to, because Dr O took Trent on a mission and left Conner behind."

"Ouch," Tanya said.

"He's at soccer practice," Kira said, "but I'm going to talk to him later."

"How's Ethan?" Tanya asked.

"He seems to be doing ok. We're all a bit freaked about Dr O being stuck in his suite and everything, but we're coping." Kira replied after a moment, she glanced over her shoulder, "He went up to raid Dr O's fridge so I guess he's doing all right."

Adam leaned over Tanya's shoulder, "Hi Kira," he said.

"Hi, Mr. Park," Kira replied.

"Kira, I'm serious, you can call me Adam," Adam said.

"Sorry," Kira said. "How are you?"

"I'm good, and you?" Adam said.

"I'm a bit sore," Kira admitted, "Trent's clone kicks like a wrecking ball."

"_Trent's_ clone," Adam said, "that's the formerly evil, white ranger, right?" Kira nodded, "Did anybody tell him that Tommy was a bad role model?"

Kira grinned, "We've been meaning to, but you know Trent does have his own unique qualities."

"What are those?" Tanya asked.

"First, he's an artist and a wonderful one," Kira said, "second he actually can remember things and third the only time he's been late is when the White Dino Gem was controlling him."

"Hey Kira," Ethan said, "what are you doing?"

Kira grinned at her teammate, "Just talking with Tanya and Adam Park."

"Oh," Ethan moved to lean over Kira's chair, "Hi Mr. and Mrs. Park," he said.

"And again," Adam said, "it's Adam and Tanya to you two. We're all Rangers together."

"What he said," Tanya agreed.

"We've been talking about Trent, and Dr O," Kira said, "which reminds me, Adam, I have pictures. I have Dr O in the amber and Dr O in his morph."

"Excellent," Adam said. "I have to go; I have to go over the books for the dojo. See you later Kira, Ethan."

"Bye Mr. Park," Kira said.

"I should probably go to," Tanya said. "It was good to talk with you Kira."

"You to, Tanya," Kira said. Once the screen was blank, Kira turned to Ethan, "I like talking with Tanya. She has such a calm personality."

"You're lucky," Ethan said as he moved to sit down at the super computer.

"What do you mean?" Kira asked.

"Dr O served with three yellows and three blues," Ethan said while he busied himself with peeling an orange, "of the blues, Billy and Rocky live on other planets and Justin doesn't want anything to do with the Rangers. Then there's the other teams, TJ spends more time off planet than on. Kai lives on Mirinoi and its hell to keep track of their day/night rotation as compared to Earth. Chad is busy with Lightspeed Rescue and his own research. Lucas doesn't even live in this time period. Max is always on the road with his friend Danny and supposedly the last team had two blues but no one knows how to contact them, or if they do they haven't told me."

"I'm sorry," Kira said, "I had no idea that it bothered you."

"It's ok," Ethan replied, "I have chances to talk to the blues, it's just that I can't call them up and ask questions on a regular basis."

Kira got up and walked over to sit down on the ground, leaning against one of the servers, "I can't always talk to Tanya or Trini either. Tanya's got her radio show and she fills in for other DJs as needed while Trini has a daughter and is starting to build her psychology practice. Aisha, the third yellow, lives in Africa and because of the nature of time travel, doesn't really connect with the rest of us." She leaned her head back against the server, "Besides, the one I identify with best is Tanya because of the type of yellow she is."

"What do you mean?" Ethan asked.

"There are four types of yellow rangers," Kira said, "the first are like Trini, mind healers. The only other mind healer was Taylor from Wild Force. Mind healers are somewhat unique in that they do their work instinctively, and don't actually need much more than being pointed in the right direction, they do the work of psychologists, which is what Trini is now. The second group are like Aisha, body healers. This group included Kelsey from Lightspeed and Katie from Time Force. Body healers are doctors, and even though they need to learn about the human body and about ways to heal, they are draw to those professions. Aisha, in fact, is a vet. Kelsey is a physical fitness trainer. I don't know what Katie's doing now, though. The third type of healer is the soul healer. In this category, we have Tanya, Maya from the Galaxy Rangers, and the Ninja Storm yellow, who I haven't met but Tanya knows. Tanya said she'd introduce us after we take care of Mesogog because we're busy and he's busy. Soul healers do a lot of their work on instinct, but they need training as well to do some of the harder work. The fourth kind of healer is, well, Ashley. She doesn't define herself as one of the three common types; she just does what she can when she can."

"I didn't realize there were distinctions," Ethan said. "Blues don't really have distinctions, we're just the brains."

"That's not entirely accurate," Kira said, "blues specialize too. I mean you have Billy who was a scientist and inventor. Rocky specialized in business and mathematics, although he's good with tactics and strategy. Justin and TJ are both 'fixers', they could be inventors, but they're better at fixing things. Kai's another strategist. Chad's a scientist. Lucas and Max both fall into the 'fixers' category. I don't know about the Ninja blues, but I'd say you either fall into the fixer or inventor categories."

"Oh," Ethan said, "What about Conner?"

"Conner's pretty typical for a red," Kira said, "he's headstrong and used to taking charge. His problem is that he doesn't use his brain as much as he should. Jason, Dr O and Andros typify one type of red, the War Leader; they are warriors who lead warriors. Leo, Carter and Wes also fall into that category. Eric could have, but Wes had team lead so he took a secondary position. Then there's Cole, who was a man of peace who fought because it was the right thing to do. He matured into his position, but he doesn't fight for the sake of fighting, he fights for the cause. That's the type of Red Conner _can_ be. If we'd become rangers later on, in five years or so, he would have been. The third type of Red is typified by TJ and Rocky, the Red who is also another color. In TJ's case, he became Red because he needed to learn that he didn't always have to be in charge. Rocky, on the other hand, is a good leader, but he doesn't have Dr O's instinct for what to do in battle. He served as Red because it was the available color that he fit; when they became Zeos he switched to blue and made his own path."

"You know a lot," Ethan said, "is this why you're always talking to Tanya?"

Kira waved her hand slightly, "Trini, Tanya and Ashley are profiling all the Rangers who came from Earth, or fought with Earth. They've been talking about having Ashley publish it as a human interest piece. I've just had opportunity to read their material because it gives me insight into my own role."

"What about Dr O then," Ethan said, "he's been a lot of colors."

"Dr O is a unique sort," Kira replied, "he started as a green. Greens are mostly known for their habit of being pranksters; however, they are also known as being one of the soldier types. Like Whites and Golds, they tend to have a more eclectic grouping made unique by their strength of spirit, body or mind. After Blues, Greens tend to harbor the geniuses, like Damon from Lost Galaxy and Trip from Time Force. The second group or the strong in body are more like Carlos or Joel, bare knuckle fighters types. Then there's the group Dr O falls into, the strong in spirit type. Adam also falls into this group for the record. These are the type that seem to end up being the targets for the 'other side' because they are the ones who strengthen their teams.

Next, Dr O served as a White. Whites are another group who tend towards being 'strong in spirit'. Alyssa from Wild Force and, of course, Trent are the only other two on Earth. Although Trent hasn't found his place yet, history suggests that like Dr O and Alyssa he'll have a knack for keeping our spirits strong and ground us as a group. As a teenager, Dr O also served as a Red. He's a War Leader, meaning that his leadership qualities show up the best in battle. He has an instinct for it, even now. As a Black, well, Blacks are the artists. Adam's a poet; Carlos is a sketch artist, Zack, the first, is a dancer. Dr O's art is the martial arts, or 'poetry in motion'. Blacks are also the group most likely to connect outside their team or planet, sharing news and gossip between each other."

"How do you remember all of this?" Ethan asked.

Kira sighed, "I have a perfect memory. It tends to go hand in hand with perfect pitch, which I also have. Incidentally, I could have picked up the Black Dino Gem and used it, because I am a singer, but I'm better suited to Yellow. Trent could have been Black too, but he was chosen to be White. Conner might, _might_ be able to use a Gold morpher, but he's got some growing to do before we put that to the test. You, on the other hand, are a blue through and through. No other color is going to work for you like blue does."

The alarm began to go off, "Look like ugly's back," Kira said standing up.

"Not just ugly," Ethan said, pressing the button to alert Conner, "but big ugly."


	28. Song 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.

A/N: LOOK! Kira's actually being a Yellow!

* * *

Kira smiled as she saw Trent, "Last time we were here," she said, making him jump, "you told me you were the evil white ranger and vanished."

"Kira," Trent said, he cleared his throat, "what are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," Kira replied, she sat down on the white bench, "I just wanted to talk with you, make sure everything's ok."

Trent sat down beside her, "I'm fine, Kira."

"Why don't I believe you?" Kira asked, laying her hand on his knee.

Trent stared at her for a long moment; his dark eyes a well of hopelessness and pain. "It's nothing you can fix," he said finally.

"Ok," Kira said, "but that doesn't mean you can't tell me what is wrong. Sometimes just talking about the problem can make it seem better than it is."

"Like you talk about Kenneth?" Trent asked.

"What about Kenneth?" Kira asked.

"He harasses you all the time and you won't tell anyone. He almost hit you the other day," Trent replied.

"Are you spying on me?" Kira demanded, and then shook her head, "Look, one day Kenneth is going to get what's coming to him. The only reason I haven't done it yet is because I kind of would like to still be eligible to graduate this year. Now stop trying to distract me and tell me what is bothering you."

"I don't want to talk about it," Trent said, looking away.

"You need to," Kira said, "I can't proclaim to see your soul, but I can tell. This secret of yours is eating at your soul and nibbles in the shadows of your mind. If you aren't sleeping badly already, you will soon enough. Whatever is bothering you needs to be released or you'll go mad keeping it in."

"What do you know about it?" Trent asked with a hint of anger in his voice. He was still staring at the water.

"I know that Tanya spends hours every week talking to Dr O to keep him from doing the same thing," Kira said softly, and then she hardened her voice, "I also know that Dr. Grayson from Lightspeed would be happy to perform a colonoscopy if I asked her to. It's like Tanya tells Dr O, that much bullshit in a person cannot be healthy for them."

Trent was looking away, but Kira thought she saw his lips twitch. "I'm not ready to talk about it," Trent said finally. "I promised I wouldn't, Kira."

Kira smiled and patted his knee, "I understand," she said, "but if you ever need to talk about it, I do know how to keep secrets."

"Thanks," Trent said softly. He stared at the lake for a moment and then turned back to her, "Just what is the story with Kenneth? I know you can take care of yourself and all, but he's a persistent little bastard."

"We dated," Kira said, "it started at the Valentines' Day Dance and it went through most of the summer. I was in a bad place, my dad was dating and then married Constance and I went from being an only to having two step-siblings."

"Ouch," Trent said. He frowned, "I thought you had a sister?"

"Half-sister and she's ten years older than I am," Kira said. "I made a choice over the summer, just before the wedding." Kira looked into Trent's eyes for a moment, "I slept with him. It was the first and only time I've ever done something like that and I regretted it as soon as the deed was done. I broke up with him after the wedding, because he wouldn't accept that I didn't want him anymore. He still can't accept it; he's very possessive apparently. I can mostly avoid him, and I've been keeping my temper. Like I said, I want to graduate."

Trent nodded, "Sounds like a tough choice, graduate from high school or kick the crap out of the asshole who can't leave you alone."

"One day," Kira replied, "I will have my cake and eat it too."

Trent smiled again and looked down at Kira's hand, which still rested on his knee. He put his own on top, and looked up at her. "If, maybe, Kenneth hasn't turned you off the dating scene, you'd like to catch a movie with me?"

Kira smiled, "Sure, Friday?"

"Sounds like a date," Trent said.


	29. Song 12

Disclaimer: Still don't own Power Rangers

A/N: This takes place right after the cross over. Blake has already won his race. You can decide for yourself what actually happens.

* * *

Kira glanced behind her at the party going full swing in Dr O's back yard. Conner was talking to Shane about being Reds and Ethan had pinned Cam down to talk about something while Blake and Tori occupied themselves with making out. Dr O manned the grill with Hailey nearby, fire extinguisher right beside her. As if sensing Kira's gaze, Dr O looked up at her. His grin faded slightly and he nodded, Kira nodded back and then walked into the woods.

She was no ninja, just a musician with some interesting abilities, but it didn't take her long to find him. The ground was bare, and shaded by the trees, bushes screened the area, and most people would never have noticed. "Dustin?" Kira said, pausing outside the bushes.

Dustin opened his eyes, and smiled, "Kira," he replied, "Are you ok?"

Kira grinned back and made her way through the bushes, "_I_ came to check on _you_, silly. You were looking a bit wild around the edges earlier."

"I'm ok," Dustin said, "Just meditating."

Kira said down, copying his lotus position instinctively, "Does it help?"

"Sometimes," Dustin said, "other times it just leaves me in a position to think too much."

Kira nodded, "I can understand that. Sometimes," she took a deep breath, "sometimes music helps me escape, and sometimes it throws me right into the middle of everything."

"Exactly," Dustin said, "I tried to explain it to my students, but I don't think they get it." His smile faded, "They're never going to trust us now."

"What do you mean?" Kira asked.

"Our students, the older ones who were Lothor's captives," Dustin said, "They looked up to us, because we fought Lothor and saved them. We also unnerved them, because before we became Rangers, they used to be so much better than we were and then we became Rangers and our powers stabilized and we were kicking their butts. Now, they've seen us attack them, and we fought with Lothor. It's going to set back their healing by weeks, if not months."

"If you want," Kira said, "I'll come help. I mean, I can't come right now; I need to finish school, but this summer, after we defeat Mesogog and we've graduated."

"Would you?" Dustin said, "That would be awesome."

Kira shifted, unfolding her legs and half crawling over to sit beside Dustin, "Before either of us can help your students, Dustin, I need to help you."

"I don't know if you can," Dustin said after a long moment.

"Then I will tell you a story," Kira said. "It's a true story, you can ask the boys. A few weeks ago, back when Dr O was still stuck in his suit, I spent an afternoon in the Lair helping him organize everything. Not only did I get fifty bucks, but also I now have seen proof that Dr O was a geek. The other thing I learned was that Dr O and his lab partner Anton Mercer once created an experiment so dangerous that they had to take the creature apart and store its most important bone separate from the rest. The next day our substitute, that self-same Anton Mercer, took us to the natural history museum just outside of town, giving us the second piece of evidence we needed to never go there again.

"While wandering around the museum, I saw some of Mesogog's goons and decided to follow them. I don't actually remember what happened afterwards, but I apparently tore Conner a new one before luring Dr O out of the Lair and stealing that bone. I returned to the museum, the monster reassembled itself, knocked me out and attacked the city. Thankfully, Dr O and Hailey had managed to incorporate some mind shields into our morphs, or that thing would have gotten Conner and Ethan and that would have been the end of it."

"It wasn't your fault," Dustin said, "no one told you that there was a mind controlling creature in the museum."

"Just like it wasn't your fault that Lothor can imitate Sensei Watanabe," Kira replied.

"But my students," Dustin said.

Kira put her hand on Dustin's shoulder, "It wasn't your fault." She captured his hand in her other one and squeezed, "I promise, Dustin."

xxXXxx

Kira rested her head on Dustin's shoulder, "Feeling better?" She asked.

"You didn't have to do that," Dustin said.

"I wanted to," Kira told him. "You needed a distraction. Now, we should head back before Dr O decides to send out a search party."

"Right," Dustin said.

Neither of them moved.

"You aren't moving," Kira told him.

"You have to move first," Dustin said.

"Right," Kira said and straightened up with a sigh. She stood up and began to brush her jeans off.

"Hold on," Dustin said, he brushed his hand down her calf, sending a feeling of warmth all over her body, "There; one of the fringe benefit of being an Earth master."

Kira brushed her jeans and found all the dirt was gone, "Thank you," she said, watching as Dustin straightened up and brushed himself off.

For a moment, they looked at each other, and then they started back through the woods. Kira studied her fellow yellow, from his wild curls to his bare feet, he looked like a naturalist, or a hippie from another decade. Even his torn and faded jeans and yellow t-shirt added to the look. She looked away when he started to look at her. She was dressed in her usual black and yellow, save she'd put on sandals instead of combat boots when she'd gotten dressed that morning.

"What?" Dustin asked.

"What?" Kira asked.

"You're thinking pretty hard over there," Dustin said.

"Oh," Kira said, "I was just wondering about your feet."

"What about them?" Dustin asked.

"What do you do when you go somewhere that says 'No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service'? Except for when you were in your training uniform or morphed, you haven't worn shoes at all."

Dustin grinned, "Well, when I'm at work, I wear my motocross boots, any other time I wear sandals."

"Ah," Kira said.

They reached the party just as the rest of the group was sitting down to eat. "Finally!" Conner exclaimed, "Dr O was going to make us wait for you."

"Sorry," Kira said with a slight shrug.

"We were having a moment," Dustin concluded.

Hunter glanced at them, "Dustin, did you know your shirt was inside out?"

Dustin glanced down, "Oops."


	30. Song 13

Discliamer: I do not own Power Rangers.

A/N: This is set after House of Cards and before Test of Trust.

* * *

Kira slung her duffle over her shoulder after she closed the front door, then turned and reached for her guitar case. A familiar dark hand reached for it first and Kira jerked back to find Trent standing there, "No." She said.

"Kira," Trent said.

"No," Kira replied, "no you cannot explain or apologize or whatever it is that you've come here to do."

"I promised," Trent said.

"I don't care!" Kira exclaimed, and then looked up to see her dad watching from the car. She lowered her voice, "I don't care, Trent. You could have told us that your dad was Mesogog; that's the kind of information that we need to know."

"Kira," Trent began.

"Not happening," Kira said harshly and picked up her guitar case. "Go home, Trent."

"Kira," Trent said.

Kira turned and glared up at him, "Go home, Trent. I don't want to see you right now. I have to go out of town and I don't need your drama to make this trip harder than it is."

Trent backed up, and Kira turned and walked over to her dad's car. "You ok?" Her dad asked.

"Not right now," Kira replied, letting him take her guitar. She threw her bag on the backseat and slid into the passenger seat, shutting the door pointedly.

Her dad climbed in the other side and started the car, "You and Trent have a fight?" He asked as he pulled out of the drive way.

"No," Kira said, "but that would have probably hurt less."

"What happened?" Gerald asked.

"It's about that thing that you pretend you don't know about," Kira said. "He's part of it, but he had a bit of a rocky road to get there. He learned something, something that could be very important, but he promised he wouldn't tell. Then he promised us he wouldn't keep secrets."

"And you're mad at him," Gerald said.

"I asked him," Kira replied, "I knew something was bothering him. I thought it was just what he'd gone through, but he wouldn't talk to me. I didn't want to push it, so I didn't."

"Are you mad at yourself?" Gerald asked.

"No," Kira said, "yes, I don't know."

"That makes sense," Gerald said. "Let's start with, why are you mad at yourself?"

"Because I knew he had a secret and I didn't tell," Kira said. "I knew it was important."

"How?" Gerald asked.

"Whites do that," Kira said. "Or rather, male Whites with a history of being evil who can't talk to anybody growing up have a history of sitting on everything and letting it fester until they go crazy or a decent yellow gives them a colonoscopy because the amount of bullshit they have inside of them can't be healthy."

Gerald laughed, "Who told you that?"

"Zeo Yellow," Kira replied after a moment, softly.

"Too close?" Gerald asked.

"Too close," Kira replied, staring out the window.

Gerald was silent as he got onto the interstate. Finally, he sighed, "Kira, I'm just your dad, I can't possibly comprehend everything that you're getting up to these days. I hate to be doing this to you, and that's why I insisted you come with me on this trip. You need to back away from everything for twelve hours."

"Thank you," Kira replied.

"So, what was that big envelop you had yesterday?" Gerald asked.

Kira shrugged, "Just some job offers, internships and the like."

"I didn't know you were applying," Gerald said.

"I haven't been," Kira said, "I got accepted to NYU, and that was my second choice. These are because of my other activities. Since I have no intention in becoming a lab rat or soldier, I'm not interested. Although, there is one that I might consider, it has a nice bonus."

"Which one is that?" Gerald asked.

"If I intern at Lightspeed for two months of the year, they'll give me a full ride at the college of my choice and no strings attached after I graduate or drop out." Kira replied. "Dr O says I should go for it, and I know Ethan already sent his acceptance."

"That's a very generous offer," Gerald admitted after a long moment.

"Considering everything," Kira replied softly, "it's the best offer I'm going to get. My grades are a bit too erratic for most scholarships. Besides, I didn't agree to this for an award, or money."

"What kind of work would you be doing?" Gerald asked.

"I don't really know," Kira admitted after a moment. "I think it's going to be more diplomatic than anything. Even though Lightspeed knows who I am, we don't want outsiders to find out who we are." She shifted slightly, "It'll be nice to help out, I think. Ever since they founded Lightspeed, they've looked after…"

Gerald turned the radio on, "What was that?" He asked over the music.

"Nothing," Kira replied with a sigh. Her dad had refused to acknowledge that she was a ranger, respecting her wishes on the matter. Given how often he was gone on business, it was probably easier for him. Kira stared out the window and heaved another sigh, because she was leaving Reefside and all of her troubles. She had finals coming up, and her team was fracturing from their own stupidity and they still had Mesogog to deal with. Not to mention she still had to finish her music for the prom. She bent over to get her notebook from the floorboard and flipped it open. If nothing else, the drive would be useful in brushing up the lyrics to Cinderella, and finalizing the playlist for the prom.

"Kira," Gerald said, turning the radio down.

"Yeah dad?" Kira asked.

"About your friend," Gerald said, "I don't know the whole story, but maybe you should give him one more chance. I know you liked him and were planning on dating him."

"Maybe after I graduate," Kira replied. "I've got too much going on right now to add 'make up with Trent' to that list."

"Just think about it," Gerald said. "There are times when your team is the only thing you can count on."


	31. Song 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.

A/N: This is the end of Song. Soon, I will begin writing and posting Honor, which is Chip's Arc.

* * *

After the battle, they gathered in Dr O's living room, Kira, Conner, Ethan, Trent, Dr O, Hailey, Anton Mercer and Elsa. For a long moment, they sat there, just breathing, and staring at each other. Then Conner began to laugh and the four teens went from sitting to hugging each other, and jumping around waving their hands as they celebrated. Kira hugged Hailey and turned to see Trent and Anton hugging tightly. Elsa looked bewildered, but Dr O was grinning as he watched.

"Tommy?" Someone called as the front door opened.

"Sam?" Dr O said his voice loud in the sudden silence.

A woman came into the house, she was dressed in military style fatigues and had a bag slung over one shoulder; Kira studied her curiously. She had very dark brown hair and dark skin, but her smile when she saw Dr O told Kira the most important thing. "I'm home," she said.

Dr O grabbed the woman, holding her like he couldn't believe she was there. "I can't believe you're back," he said.

"I e-mailed you," the woman replied, "my tour is done for now."

Kira saw movement out of the corner of her eye and turned slightly to look. Anton was pulling Elsa into the kitchen, and Trent was following. Hailey was steering Ethan out, so Kira grabbed Conner's arm and tugged. They went through the kitchen onto the back porch in silence. "Who was that?" Conner asked.

"That is Samantha Oliver," Hailey replied, "Tommy's wife."

"Dr O is _married?_" Ethan said.

"For several years," Anton said, "Samantha is in the Army though, and has spent the last eighteen months in Iraq."

"She doesn't know about Tommy's history," Hailey added, lowering her voice, "as a Ranger."

"Well then," Kira said, looking at her teammates, "we won't say anything." The boys nodded as she looked at them.

"There you are," Dr O said, "everyone; this is Sam, my wife."

They turned to look at the Olivers, and Kira realized that, for the first time, Dr O actually looked happy. "Hi Mrs. Oliver," She said.

"Sam, you remember Hailey and Anton," Tommy said, "The teens are Conner, Kira, Ethan and Trent. They're that study group I was telling you about; and this is Elsa."

"Elsa is my new personal assistant," Anton said smoothly. "We were just here to pick up Trent so that he can get ready for tonight."

"Yeah," Trent said, "it's prom night."

"We should go," Conner added. "Kira, Ethan, you guys riding with me?"

"No," Kira said, "we're going to walk."

"I don't know about you," Ethan said, "but I'm riding. Besides, I don't want to miss my movie." He jumped off the porch and started for the front, "Bye, Dr O, bye Mr. Mercer, Elsa, Mrs. Oliver. See you later, Trent."

"Bye," Conner added before following Ethan. "Dude, I still can't believe you'd rather go to a movie than the prom."

Kira heaved a sigh, "It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Oliver."

"Nice to meet you as well," Samantha replied.

"And Dr O, that party invitation is for both of you," Kira added, "Saturday, three o'clock."

"I think we can make that," Dr O replied.

"KIRA!" Conner shouted, "Let's go!"

"Later," Kira said, jumping off the porch. "I'm coming you soccer playing Neanderthal!"

xxXXxx

Kira came home to get ready for the prom and found her dad waiting for her, "Hi," she said softly.

"Is it over?" Gerald asked her.

"It's over," Kira replied. "Dad, today, Mesogog was defeated and to do that, we used all of our Power. I can tell you now, knowing you won't tell the whole world. I am the Yellow Dino Thunder Ranger."

"Thank you for telling me," Gerald said, and hugged her. "Now, you need to go get ready. It's not every day your band gets a break like this."

"I know," Kira replied.

xxXXxx

Kira found Wesley setting up the amplifiers, "Can I talk to you?" She said softly.

"Sure," Wesley replied.

"Over there," Kira said, pointing back stage, "it's kind of personal."

"All right," Wesley replied. He followed Kira over to a corner backstage.

"I just wanted to thank you, for helping me," Kira said. "I couldn't tell you what was going on, but I can now. I trust you not to make a big deal about this."

"All right," Wesley said.

"I'm a Power Ranger," Kira said quietly.

"What?" Wesley said.

"Yeah," Kira said, "I know. That's the project, training and fighting Mesogog. We destroyed him today, and we tapped out our powers to do it." She stared up at her best friend, "It killed me not to tell you before, but it was too dangerous. Mesogog and Elsa had human covers, if they even thought you knew about us, they might have used you."

"Kira, it's ok," Wesley replied and hugged her, "I'm just glad you're safe. I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"Thank you," Kira replied. She looked up at her friend as he stepped back, "Now, about the play list. I want to put Cinderella in the second set."

"Let's get the others," Wesley said, "if we're making last minute changes and all."

"Right," Kira replied.

xxXXxx

Kira shivered slightly as she walked down the hall, back to the gym. It was a little creepy to be in the school so late, especially with the faint pounding of a record song echoing around her. "Well, look who we have here." A very unwelcome voice said.

Kira turned to find Kenneth and two of his friends standing behind her. The open classroom door on her left had probably been their hiding place. "What do you want?" She asked, resisting the urge to throw her hands up in a guard position.

"What do I ever want, Kira?" Kenneth asked.

"Kenneth, don't," Kira said, "I really don't want to hurt you, ok?"

"Hurt me?" Kenneth laughed, "who do you think you are, a Power Ranger."

Kira smirked, "I know exactly who I am. I'm the one who is going to walk away from this ridiculous situation and after I get my diploma, I'll be so far gone that you'll only be a slightly unpleasant high school memory." She turned and started to walk away.

There was a rushing noise, and Kira pivoted, grabbing the arm of her attacker and tossed him to polish the floor down the hallway. Then she evaded Kenneth's rush before turning to the third guy who lifted his hands. "Are you sure?" Kira asked.

The guy swung, Kira ducked, blocking his arm and punching him in the side, then she dropped to sweep his legs, but he jumped. She came up and blocked two more attacks. Hearing someone behind her, she blocked a punch and kicked. Glancing back, she saw Kenneth stagger back into the other guy.

Kira smiled and used the karate kid's momentum to toss him into Kenneth and the other guy, sending them stumbling back into their classroom hide out and shutting the door firmly. Then she hurried back stage, grabbing her guitar as she made her way to the group. "Is everything ok?" Wesley asked.

"Yup," Kira said, "How much longer?"

"After this song," Wesley replied.

"Great," Kira replied.

They filed back on stage as the song ended and Kira took a deep breath as she looked out over the crowd. Then the intro began and she stepped up to the microphone.

"They always told you Prince Charming came in white  
He'd win your heart in battle with death's knight  
You never dreamed Prince Charming was the one you must defeat  
You never thought your white knight was the dragon you must slay

Keep on trying  
Keep on searching  
Keep on dreaming  
Cinderella  
Your momma told you  
He would find you  
So keep on dreaming  
Cinderella

They called him charming; you thought he was a prince  
But could you love him when he stole your innocence?  
He dressed in white, you thought he'd set you free  
But freed a dragon and shattered every dream

Keep on trying  
Keep on searching  
Keep on dreaming  
Cinderella  
Your momma told you  
He would find you  
So keep on dreaming  
Cinderella

You were looking for a knight, you were dreaming of a prince  
But in the end, you've learned to look beyond  
He won't be charming, he'll be no one's prince  
He may never be a knight, but he'll love you

Keep on trying  
Keep on searching  
Keep on dreaming  
Cinderella  
Your momma told you  
He would find you  
So keep on dreaming  
Cinderella

Your momma told you  
He would find you  
So keep on dreaming  
Cinderella

Keep on dreaming Cinderella."

_As applause rocked the hall, Kira smiled. She was sore, bruised from a year at war, but she had won. Mesogog was gone, and Kenneth dealt with. At least, he was dealt with in so far that she probably wouldn't see him again before she left._

_xxXXxx_

It was hidden in the medicine cabinet, a slender white stick. It looked so innocent, but the clear and distinct plus sign on top was the kind of thing that could lift someone up to the highest of heights or plummet them into a literal hell. This one in particular would be both.


	32. Honor 1

Disclaimer; I do not own power rangers

A/N: If you've read The Man Behind The Cape then you know something about Chip's home life. In a future chapter, Chip's life will get more detailed, but short form is that the kids are adopted. Andy is Chip's aunt, Bryan is her husband, John is Bryan's brother and Kara is his wife and they all live on the farm together.

* * *

Chip closed the door to his room with a sigh. He probably had a good ten minutes before his cousins got brave enough, or curious enough, to come knock on the door. It was days like this that made him seriously consider taking Xander up on his offer of the second bedroom. Hearing Xander and his dates had to be better than the explosion of noise that began at about five thirty in the morning and didn't really quiet down until nine at night.

He pulled off his uniform shirt as he crossed his room, heading for his closet. The shirt was tossed on top of a pile of other pale green shirts, followed by the white shirt he'd been wearing under it. From the dresser in the back of his closet, Chip pulled out a yellow t-shirt that his aunt was always threatening to throw away and slipped it on. It was worn at the most perfect level, soft and perfect for sleeping in. As he pulled it on, the nagging ache in his back from being tossed into a tree lessened. He glanced at his arm, where a bruise from Koragg lingered, and it was fading, almost literally beneath his eyes. He grinned, at least there would be fewer questions about injuries now.

He took his morpher out of his pocket and changed into a pair of mustard yellow sweats. Tossing his jeans onto the dirty clothes pile, Chip headed back into his room carrying his morpher. He put it on his desk along with some other random action figure accessories and movie memorabilia where people wouldn't really notice it. Then he picked up his battered copy of The Hobbit and sat on his bed.

Right on cue, someone banged on his door, "Chip, make him stop!" Someone, Nicole most likely, whined.

"Door's open," Chip called, "come on in." The door opened to reveal Nicole, with her messy blond curls and pout, followed by Luke. Nicole ran over and climbed on his bed while Luke hug out in the door way. "What's going on then?" Chip asked.

"Luke took my make up kit," Nicole asked.

"Really?" Chip asked, looking at Luke.

"She took my markers," Luke replied. "And hid them so I can't find them."

"No I didn't!" Nicole protested.

"Yes you did," Luke shouted, "you're always taking my stuff."

"Luke," Chip said sternly. "Now, Nicole, did you take Luke's markers?"

"No," Nicole replied. "I didn't, honest Chip. Momma bought me new markers last week." She held up her right hand, "On my oath as a superhero."

Chip smiled, "All right, Luke. I'm not saying that someone didn't take your markers, but it wasn't Nicole, so you need to return Nicole's makeup kit. While you're getting that, Nicole and I will start looking for your markers, sound fair?"

Luke frowned, then nodded, "Ok." He turned and headed off.

Nicole pouted, "Why do I have to help?" She asked.

"Because you are Super Nicole," Chip told her, pulling her into his lap, "and you help people who need it. But first, you know what happens to superheroes when they pout, right?"

"No!" Nicole shrieked as he tickled her lightly. Chip let Nicole wiggle free after a moment. "Come on, Super Chip!" She said, striking a dramatic, and heroic pose, "Let's go find the markers!"

Chip stood up and laughed, "Let's start in Mandy's room," he said, snagging his cape from the door as he followed her out of the room. He swung the cape over his shoulders and bounced after his cousin.

"IF THE CEILING CAVES IN, YOU'VE ONLY YOURSELVES TO BLAME!" Aunt Andy hollered up the stairs.

"Sorry!" Chip called back before entering the room Mandy shared with Nicole.

"Uh oh," Nicole said.

Chip swallowed, because they'd found Luke's markers all right. The room, and the five year old inside, had become rather liberally decorated with the markers. "Ok," Chip said, "I'll distract Mandy and get her to the bath, you go down and get your mom." He turned and saw Luke coming down the hall, "Luke, Mandy found your markers."

"No!" Luke said and sprinted the last few feet to hang in the doorway. "My markers."

Chip closed his eyes for a moment. "Let's see if they're salvageable," he said, pressing his hand into Luke's shoulder lightly, cautiously. Then he stepped into the room and walked over to his cousin, "Hey Mandy-Pandy," he said.

"'Hip!" Mandy said, grinning with her missing tooth and Chip winced. Because her lips were lined with green. "I look purty."

"Yes you do," Chip reassured her. Then he picked her up, "Let's go show momma, hey?" Carrying his cousin, he slipped past Luke. "I'll be back," he told the younger boy, who was picking up the markers.

"What on earth?" Aunt Andy asked as she came up the stairs.

"Mandy found Luke's markers," Chip said. "She decided to redecorate the girls' room."

"Oh dear," Andy sighed. "Luke must be devastated."

They shared a commiserating look, having been a foster family for so long, they knew how important it was for the kids to have their own things. Especially something like Luke's markers, because he'd earned the money to buy them on his own. "Where do you want me?" Chip asked, hitching Mandy onto his hip.

"Go ask Kara and Bryan to come up here. Bryan can deal with Luke and Kara can get started on the walls. I will take Mandy." Andy said, moving into a position to grab her daughter.

Chip let his aunt take Mandy and hurried down the stairs to where the other adults where watching the news. "What happened?" Bryan asked.

"Mandy got a hold of Luke's markers," Chip said, "and tried to redecorate the girls' room. Aunt Andy wants you to talk to Luke and Kara to see what can be done for the walls. I'll help with that."

"Right," Bryan said, standing up.

"Can I help?" John asked.

"We've got it," Kara said, kissing her husband's cheek lightly, "If we need you, I'll call. Stay down here and keep an eye on Tammy."

"Yes dear," John replied.

Kara laughed and headed for the kitchen. Chip followed his uncle back upstairs and slipped into his bedroom. First, he dropped his cape on his bed and then he slipped into his closet and got down his art kit. Stepping back out into the hallway, he found Bryan guiding Luke out of the girls' room, markers in a plastic bag. "Hey Luke," he said, and held out the box. "Call it a loan, ok?"

Luke took the box and opened it. "Really, Chip?" He asked looking back up.

"Of course," Chip said, "I know that you'll take care of them."

"Thanks." Luke said quietly.

"Welcome," Chip replied in an equally soft voice.


	33. Honor 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers

A/N: Post Code Breakers, changed Calendor to Koragg thanks The True Elect for pointing that out!

* * *

Chip grinned as Xander ducked away from Vida's punch. The newly minted green ranger was a long time expert of getting Vida wound up. "Hey," Nick said.

Chip turned to study their new friend; he stood just in the door looking decidedly uncomfortable in the pale green Rock Porium polo. "Hey Nick," Chip replied.

The crack of flesh meeting flesh made Nick wince, but Xander's all too familiar howl of pain only brought Chip's grin back. "What's up with them?" Nick asked as he edged closer to Chip, watching Vida yell at Xander with wildly waving hands.

"It's Xander and Vida," Chip replied, glancing over at his friends, "they're genetically predisposed to be at odds. Xander's a flirt and a lady's man, two things Vida hates." He pretended he didn't see the odd look that Nick gave him, the kind of look he got whenever he talked about his studies to someone who had only met him in social conditions. It was even better than the usual WTF looks he got, it was the 'I didn't realize you had a brain' look.

"Excuse me," Xander said as he ran between them and out the door.

"Get back here!" Vida yelled as she stormed after him.

"Hey, V," Chip called after her, "you can't kill him yet."

"I don't want to kill him," Vida said, stopping at the door, "I want to break his arms."

"You break him, you buy him," Chip said as she vanished from sight.

"Does it bother you?" Nick asked.

Chip turned from his contemplation of the door, "What, Xander and Vida?" He crossed his arms and tilted his head. The look on Nick's face, he knew he knew that look, but he couldn't place it.

Nick gestured, "All the flirting Xander does. I would have thought it bothered you."

Chip frowned, "Why should it? It's not like I own him or anything." That look, he thought, was just like the one that one of his cousins' real father had turned on Aunt Andy and Uncle Brian after losing custody to the family.

"But aren't you two dating?" Nick asked, looking like he couldn't believe he was asking the question.

Chip scrunched up his face, "No, I'm straight." He glanced at the clock before Nick's words really settled in. "Wait what, where did that come from?"

Nick shrugged looking relieved, "I was just curious, you two seem really close."

"Huh," Chip said, "we're friends, best friends, yeah, but we aren't dating." He frowned, "I never thought someone would see it that way." He wandered away from Nick, wondering what was going on in Nick's mind that he would assume two people couldn't be close friends without a sexual relationship.

"Hey Chip," Vida called, drawing him from his thoughts, "shift's over, you coming?"

Chip shook his head, reminded of what day it was, "I have to wait for Aunt Andy."

"Why's that?" Vida asked.

Chip shrugged, "I've got a doctor's appointment." He ran his fingers through his hair and gave Vida a significant look. Vida nodded slightly as her eyes widened in understanding.

"You had one a few days ago," Nick interjected, "is everything ok?"

"Yeah," Chip said, looking away from Vida to study Nick. "I'm fine. This is just an eye appointment." He could see Vida readjust her shoulders as she rolled her eyes. "My aunt and I tend to do all of my annual checkups at the same time so we don't have to worry about it in the middle of the season or something."

"Chip," Nicole said as she slid around Vida, "Hi Vida," she added over her shoulder, "Momma Andy wants you to hurry up." The small teen flipped her hand as she walked down the aisle to stop by the register.

"I'm clocking out right now," Chip said. He ducked his head into the office, "Hey Toby, I have to go; doctor's appointment."

The frazzled store owner waved his hand, "I hope it goes well Chip."

"Thanks Toby," Chip replied, grateful again that Maddie had explained things to Toby for him. He'd have to see if she would do the same with Nick.

He shut the door and turned to find Nicole and Nick having a stare down. Vida was out of sight, probably already driving Xander home. He smiled, because the height difference made the whole thing ludicrous, "Nicole, this is Nick, my new co-worker. Nick, this is my cousin, Nicole."

"Hi," Nick said, looking between Chip, with his carrot colored hair and Nicole, who was had auburn curls.

"Whatever," Nicole replied, she gave Chip a pointed look. "let's go Chip."

"Waiting on you, Princess," Chip replied, with a half bow.

"I swear, if you make me late for Emily's birthday party I will never forgive you." Nicole said as she smacked his arm.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Chip said.

xxXXxx

Chip followed his cousin and aunt into the farmhouse quietly, Andy headed into the kitchen where he knew the other adults were waiting while Nicole headed into the living room to claim the computer for a while. Chip headed up the stairs and down the hall to Luke's room. The twelve year old was sitting at his desk with Chip's art set. "Hey Luke," Chip said.

"Chip," Luke said, turning to stare at him.

Chip smiled, "I got you something," he held up the plain white, craft bag he'd carried into the farm house. "Call it a welcome to Winterlight Farm gift."

"You didn't have to," Luke said.

Chip eased over to Luke's desk and dropped the bag in his lap, "I know. I wanted to." He ruffled Luke's hair and strode back out of the room. He kept his stride even and his chin raised until he was safe in his own room. As soon as he had shut the door, he put his back to it and slid down. He sat and drew his legs up to his chin as the doctor's words came back to him. _"The white blood cells are higher than they normally are. They aren't high enough to cause alarm, but given his past, we'd like him to come back next week for more tests."_

Chip drew his knees up and rested his forehead on them, eyes shut. _It's not fair!_ He thought, _I should be worried about Koragg and Necrolai, not this, not again. Hasn't my family been through enough?_

"Chip?" Luke called through the door.

Chip gasped a ragged breath, "Y-yeah, Luke?" He called back.

"I just wanted to give you back your kit," Luke said, "since…"

Chip opened his eyes and took another shaky breath, and then he stood up and opened the door. The young Hispanic standing there looked nervous, "Thanks man," Chip said with a half-hearted smile, "You could have waited if you wanted to."

"No," Luke said and held it out, "thank you, Chip. You didn't have to loan it to me."

Chip took the box back, "I couldn't have not loaned it to you either, Luke. I don't play the could of, would of, should of game; I just do what's right. Nevertheless, you are welcome for it. I'm glad you enjoyed using them."

"I did," Luke admitted, "the quality of those are amazing."

Chip chuckled, "My dad went through a period where he thought I was an artist. This is pretty much the only thing I actually kept from that time. The Step-Monsters were horrified when Dad suggested I'd enjoy a semester in Paris studying art. I hated to tell him that semesters abroad were generally done in college and I was positive that I was going to be a nurse anyways."

"A nurse?" Luke repeated, "Isn't that a _girls'_ job?"

Chip sighed, "Come in, Luke," he gestured to his desk. "I guess the best way to explain is to keep it short."

Luke took the desk chair while Chip sat on the floor, leaning against his bed. "First off, if you had to be in a hospital for an overnight stay, say you broke your leg, who would you rather beg a bedpan from, a man or a woman?"

"A guy," Luke said after a moment of thought, "but why not be a doctor, I mean, you're goofy, but you're smart. I heard Mr. Summers say you could have gone to Berkley but you chose to stay here and work on the farm."

Chip eyed Luke for a moment, "Are you sure you're just twelve?" Luke shrugged and Chip chuckled, "The thing is, I'm going into medicine to work with the patients. I don't want to lock myself in a lab, or only show up for treatments and checkups. I want to be there every day, to make them stop hurting. Maybe I'll have to change bedpans and diapers, but I'll also be there to help celebrate birthdays to."

"Mr. Brian was on the phone earlier with someone he called Charles about you being at the doctor," Luke said after a moment, "they were fighting. Is everything ok?"

Chip huffed a laugh, "Uncle Brian and my dad don't get along. Uncle Brian thinks my dad could have been more involved in my life when I was your age. My dad is a corporate lawyer, and he's always busy. Between his job and his new family," Chip shrugged, "it was easier for me to stay with Aunt Andy than to go back." He reached over and ruffled Luke's hair, "I'm the original foundling around here, you know. They rescued me, too."

Luke blushed, but for the first time, Chip saw a smile on his face.


	34. Honor 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers

A/N: Part One of Three. Some offensive language within.

* * *

"Hey Chip," Madison said, "are you ok?"

"Yeah," Chip said, hastily closing the comic he'd been looking at, "I'm fine; I promise I was just looking." He put the comic book on the shelf and turned back to his box.

"Do I look like I'm going to bust you for reading?" Madison said.

"Thanks, Maddie," Chip said, "it's an awesome comic, I can't believe I have to wait until payday to actually get it. It's about these brothers who are sorcerers and one of them messes up his spell and makes his brother become two people. One's evil and nasty and the other one's nice and kind."

Madison cleared her throat, "I just wanted to check up on you. You've been distracted lately."

Chip swallowed, "Sorry," he looked at the shelf and straightened the comic he'd been reading, "Lucas, one of the new cousins, he's been having nightmares since we ran into his dad last week. I'm just tired is all." He picked up a stack of comics and slid them onto the shelf.

"Are you sure?" Madison asked.

"Positive," Chip replied, reminding himself that he was _not_ going to snap at Madison. He reached into the box and frowned as he realized it was empty. "I'm going to get some more stock out of the back."

"Ok," Madison, "I'll go with you, I've gotten the records done."

"Thanks," Chip grinned at his friend.

The backroom to the Rock Porium had a door that locked behind itself if you weren't careful. When that happened you had to either wait for someone else to come back there looking for you, or page on the overhead, which has tantamount to open season on mocking for the person thus trapped. Chip took the broken broom and slid it into the door when he was back there, keeping the door open, but not so far open that people would wander in 'looking for the restroom'.

The comics they were stocking for the after school rush were stacked by the unloading bay, and Chip had been bringing them out one or two at a time to get them done. Madison grabbed two boxes same as Chip and they headed back.

What they all tended to forget about blocking the door open was that sound could carry _really well_ in the back room. "V, I'm worried about Chip," Xander announced, his voice rolling back and freezing Chip in place.

"What about him?" Vida asked.

"He's been acting weird since he went to the doctor's office last week," Xander replied.

"Chip hates going there," Vida said, "he always acts off when he has to go."

"Maybe, but he went _twice._ Vida, they only make him go once. Maybe something's wrong." Xander replied.

Chip swallowed, and glanced over at Madison, who was also listening quietly. "Maybe not," Vida said, "if it's important, Chip will tell us. Trust him."

"I do," Xander said, "but Chip isn't really known for telling people about that."

"Hey guys, what's up?" Nick asked.

Chip started, and from the clatter, it sounded like someone had dropped something out there. "Nick," Vida said, in her best, 'we're not hiding anything and isn't it lovely to see you' tone of voice. Chip personally thought it sounded more like 'I've got a secret, but I can't tell you so don't ask because it's a secret'. Not that he'd ever admit that to Vida. "What are you doing here?"

"I've got evening shift," Nick replied, "and I was bored so I thought I'd come in a little early. What's going on?"

"We were just talking about Chip," Xander replied, "he's been acting off lately."

"Chip always acts off," Nick replied, "you're just now noticing this?"

Chip flinched, because he got that Nick wasn't sure of him yet, but that was _harsh._

"Nick," Xander said, "don't talk about Chip that way."

"What?" Nick said, sounding honestly confused, "You can't deny that he's a goof, that's all I'm saying. No need to get all defensive." His voice changed, becoming sly, as if he was trying to goad Xander, "It's not like he's your boyfriend or anything."

Nick spat the word boyfriend like he would have said dog dung, a word that did not sit easily on his tongue.

Chip was surprised to realize that the sound of a fist striking skin sounded nothing like the hollow thud of a fist to a Hidiac. "You have no right to say that," Vida said, "you ok, Xander?"

"Why do I always forget that the face is the hardest part of the human body?" Xander replied.

"Hey guys what…the hell?" Nick's voice carried into the room and Chip glanced at Madison, who frowned.

"Get back," Vida declared, "which of you is the real one?"

_Real one?_ Chip thought.

"Take it easy, Vida, I'm the real one," Nick said.

"No, I am."

Chip dropped the boxes he was carrying, Madison followed suit and they ran for the door. Chip pulled his morpher from his pocket as Madison cautiously eased the door open. Two Nicks stood with their back to the storeroom, so Madison and Chip stepped out into the Rock Porium. Vida and Xander, across from the pair, only blinked at their appearance.

"Prove it," Vida declared, "prove which one of you is the real Nick."

One of them pulled a morpher out of his pocket, "I have this," he declared.

The other one also produced a morpher, "So do I, dumb ass," he said. Then he glanced over his shoulder, "Look, it's the fag and the blushing violet. Trying to get the jump on me?"

"Maybe," Chip said, his eyes moved from one to the other. "Hey Nick, out of curiosity," he said, a vague suspicion dancing in the back of his mind, "what did you do today?"

Evil Nick rolled his eyes, "I was training at Rootcore."

Other Nick nodded, "Udonna wanted me to practice fire calling."

"I don't suppose you saw Claire working magic," Chip asked. He was well aware of the fact that his teammates were giving each other strange looks.

"So what if she was?" Evil Nick asked, he paused, "Oh no, no, you don't think Claire…"

"It's entirely possible," Chip replied.

"What?" Other Nick asked.

"Yeah," Vida said, "which of them do I need to pound?"

"Neither," Chip replied, "it's just like that comic book. Clair's spell or whatever, she messed it up, she always does, and presto, we have two Nicks. One Nick is his dark side, anger, hate, aggression. The other one is probably his 'good' side. Although right now he's more the quiet one."

Evil Nick muttered something that sounded highly uncomplimentary, "How are we going to _fix this?"_ He demanded, looking around the group.

"I'll cover your shift," Chip said, "and one of the others can go with you to Udonna. You know she can fix anything."

Evil Nick looked at the others, "Why, exactly do I want to be fixed?"

"Because, you can't morph," Chip said, remembering the comic book. "Being split means the Power won't recognize either of you as the Red Ranger, so you have to be put back together."

Evil Nick snorted, "That's what the comic books told you, right?" He glanced at Vida, "This is why he needs professional help, the comics are speaking to him."

While Vida and Xander tried to process it, Evil Nick shoved between the two of them and fled the store.

"Um," Nick said, "sorry for my evil twin?"

Chip knew it was going to be a long day.


	35. Honor 4

A/N: 2/3... Sorry this has taken so long to post. Apparently the website was having...issues.

* * *

"So," Other Nick said, looking at the four Rangers, "What do we do now?" He shifted uncomfortably, looking from one Ranger to another. Chip briefly felt sorry for him, because Vida was intimidating by nature, Xander could be intimidating too when he wanted to be, but Madison wasn't. Chip slid a glance at his friend, she had her sympathy face on, because Madison didn't need to intimidate people, she just had this look that said she _understood_ and no matter what she would _help._ Chip glanced back at Vida, fighting the smile as memories of the number of times that help had dragged him, Vida and Xander into trouble surfaced.

"You have to go see Udonna," Vida said crossing her arms and tossing her head slightly. Chip thought she probably wasn't used to her short hair even six months after the dare gone wrong, "one of us should go as well."

Xander nodded, "Evil Nick doesn't have any reason to help us. In fact, I wouldn't put it past him to consider trying to help the Master." Uneasy glances were spread around, it was no secret that Nick was the big, fat target of the Underworld, not after the way Koragg went after him.

"But if he doesn't have magic," Other Nick began, looking hopeful.

"He probably didn't lose his magic," Chip offered thoughtfully, "In the comic book, the both the good and evil twin could use their natural abilities, but neither of them could use the powers the team had to fight evil."

"But that's the comic book," Xander said, "This is real life." He threw Chip the 'you aren't helping' look.

Chip bit his lip, marshalling his arguments about how that was the only source of information they had and it might actually be worth something, but Vida, with one of her patented _looks,_ intervened, "Look, Udonna has to know. Someone needs to tell her and Nick has a shift he has to cover." She pointed at Xander, "Your shift is done, go, now. Tell Udonna what's happened. Nick, get clocked in, you're on the register for right now. Chip, Madison, I'm sure there are things you need to do?"

Chip smiled at Vida and headed back into the store room to reclaim his boxes. Madison held the door and Chip waited to do the same for her. Together they knelt by the comic books and got started on restocking, after a few moments, Chip glanced over at her, "Maddie," he said, "I need a favor."

"You want me to talk to Nick," Madison said, she smiled at Chip, "of course."

Chip smiled, "Thanks, Maddie, I appreciate that."

"You're one of my best friends," Madison said, "it's part of the job description that I be there to help you when you're in trouble."

Chip nodded, "Yeah," he murmured. He lingered in putting his stack of comics up, wondering what she would say, what they all would say, after his third trip to the doctor's office and another round of tests. All he could do, all any of them could do was hope that things would be ok. He shook his head slightly and got back to putting up comic books, "So," he said, "I was thinking that I wanted to build another set of tabletop trebuchets and have a tournament. We couldn't have it at the farm because of last time, with the fire and all. I mean, who would have thought that a tabletop trebuchet could fling fire that far. Anyways, if I did, can we have it at your place, please. It would be awesome. No fire though. Maybe some pudding, or Jell-O, because flying Jell-O would be incredible. It could be a thing, you know, see who comes out of it the cleanest. Mashed potatoes would also be cool."

Chip let his words come out with little interference from his mind, ignoring the concerned look that Madison was giving him as they worked.

xxXXxx

Chip managed to swing by Rootcore before he went home, and the scene of chaos was so familiar that he couldn't hide his smile or deny how relaxed he felt. Udonna was pouring over books while Claire was nowhere in sight, meaning she was probably off on an errand. Xander was also nose deep in a book, and Chip sat down beside his friend, "So, how is it going?" He asked, leaning over to look at the book Xander was reading.

"Nothing so far," Xander replied, "I don't even know what Claire was trying to do." He shut the book with unusual force and grabbed another one, "Claire isn't even here to ask, Udonna sent her out to fetch ingredients for something before I even got here."

"Good," Chip said hardly trying to hide his relief, he turned to Udonna, "I have a question," he began standing up to join her. Absently, he toyed with the edge of his cape, preparing him for a look of surprise for asking a relevant question.

"Yes Chip," Udonna said, giving him the look that people who knew him took on when Chip mentioned a question.

"If Claire caused Nick to split into two people, wouldn't she have noticed?" Chip asked, he gestured slightly, "Claire isn't stupid even if she is a bit accident prone."

Udonna looked up at him for a long moment, "It is puzzling, because such a mishap would be, as you said, noticeable. Now we have the question of, if Clair was not the cause of Nick's accident, then what did happen to Nick and where?"

"Well," Chip said, "we haven't actually had an attack in a few days, what if this is something caused by the Underworld?"

"Udonna, Chip," Xander said, catching their attention. He was standing and had his cell phone in hand, "Vida, Maddie and 'good' Nick have run into a monster."

"Be careful," Udonna said as Chip and Xander hurried to stand before the Mystic Racers, their best bet of getting back out of the forest and into town without people freaking out.

"We will," Xander told her as Chip pulled out his morpher.

The two exchanged speaking glances and dropped their hands out to unfold the morphers. "Magical Source," they shouted in unison, "Mystic Force!"


	36. Honor 5

Discliamer: I don't own Power Rangers.

A/N: Please don't hate me...I'm not all that good at action scenes. Did you know that they don't actually have a cohesive attack to deal with monsters in Mystic Force? It was...weird. Also, Chip is not Chip here...sorry, but I put it to him being zoned out on archery.

* * *

The monster was very strange looking, Chip thought as he and Xander leaped from their Mystic Racers. They had found the monster waiting at the courtyard in front of city hall. Madison and Vida had already morphed, and Nick was nowhere in sight. The monster had an almost human build, if one discounted the square box on top with the white tragedy mask. "Four Rangers," it said, in a haughty British accent, "I thought I would rate more than that." It laughed, "But of course, your red ranger can't morph can he?"

"What do you know about that," Vida snapped.

Chip put his hand on Vida's shoulder, "It wasn't Clair, V," he said, turning his head away from the monster. "It was a servant of the Underworld." He spotted Nick; he stood in the entryway of city hall, half hidden by a column as he watched them.

"How do you figure?" Vida asked.

"You think Claire wouldn't _notice_ two Nicks?" Xander asked, exasperated.

"Enough chit chat," the monster announced, and attacked. Beams of light flew from its fingers, too fast for Chip, or any of the Rangers, to dodge.

Chip groaned as he picked himself up, he hoped he didn't bruise too badly. The doctors would have a fit. "Whatever you did to our friend," Vida said, "we'll fix it."

"How," Madison asked quietly.

"Destroy it," Vida said coldly, "Magistaff, wind power!"

The magic created winds sent the monster staggering back.

"Magistaff," Xander said, "axe mode."

He struck the ground with the axe and knocked the monster onto its back.

"Magistaff," Madison said, and sent a high powered jet of water at the monster just as it began to stand up.

"Magistaff," Chip said, "crossbow mode." As he lifted the crossbow, he felt a very familiar peace settle on him, the endless moment of target and arrow that had helped him lead his team to archery championships two years running. Then it was gone as the lightning danced all over the monster.

"Foolish Rangers," the monster cried, "it's my turn!"

More of the light beams, this time, they turned into ropes. Chip struggled as they wrapped around him, ignoring the pain as they contracted, but unable to stop his cry of pain as he was thrown into Xander.

"Hey!"

Chip looked up after he'd rolled off Xander.

Nick stood behind the monster, anger and hatred twisting his features until they were almost unrecognizable. "You," the monster said, "What do you want?"

"A fight," angry Nick said, stepping past his reflection. "You got me from behind the first time."

"You won't even be a challenge," the monster said.

"That's what you think," angry Nick said, and charged the monster.

Hands caught Chip, "Hold still."

Chip looked up, and found the second Nick kneeling behind him, "What are you doing?" He asked.

"Cutting you free," Nick replied, he glanced at the one-sided fight between his counterpart and the monster. "I didn't have anything to do with that, by the way. He decided to attack on his own."

"Right," Chip said, just as his ropes went slack. "Thanks Nick, now get back, we can handle it from here." He shrugged the ropes off and drew his staff, pointing it at Xander. "Mathis kidorum," he said, and the ropes vanished.

"Thanks mate," Xander said.

The girls were freed in short order, just in time for evil Nick to be banished by the monster. "Now what?" Chip asked.

"How can we destroy him?" Madison asked.

"Maybe if we put our staffs together," Xander said, "and blast it with our combined magic, that'll be enough."

"It's as good a plan as any," Madison said.

"Fine," Vida agreed.

"Let's do it," Chip said.

They turned to the monster, "Now it's our turn," Xander declared, holding up his staff. "Ready?"

"Ready," Chip replied in unison with Vida and Madison.

"Mystic Force," they declared, putting their staffs together, releasing their magic in a multi colored beam.

It struck the monster, pinning it in place, after a moment, the monster wailed loudly and exploded into its component pieces. "Yes!" Vida said.

"All right," Chip said, jumping up and down.

"We did it," Xander declared.

"Nick!" Madison cried, spinning around. They all turned to find Nick leaning against the column he'd been behind earlier with a strange look on his face as he slid down the column.

They ran over, "Are you ok?" Xander asked.

Nick huffed a laugh, "I was split in two by a monster, half of me got beat up by said monster and then I was put back together, how do you think I feel?"

"Let's get you back to Rootcore," Chip said, "and patch you up."

"Not yet," Nick said, he held his hand out, "we aren't done yet."

Xander pulled Nick to his feet as Chip turned around, just in time to see the spell shield appearing. "They never give up," Vida said.

"Neither do we," Chip countered.

xxXXxx

Nick found him outside the dragon's mouth later on. Chip had brought his archery kit out and set up a target. "Hey," Nick said after Chip had fired another arrow.

"Hi," Chip said, knocking another arrow.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry," Nick said. "What I said earlier, it was uncalled for."

"It's ok," Chip replied, firing. "You weren't exactly yourself you know."

"But still," Nick said, "I was wrong and I shouldn't have said it." He stepped around to where he could look Chip in the eyes. "My parents are very religious, and I'm not, at least, not any more. I don't buy into homosexuality as a sin, at least, I told myself I wouldn't. Not after what happened." For a moment, Chip thought he saw pain, fear and grief in Nick's eyes, but the emotions were gone before he could be sure.

Chip put his hand on Nick's shoulder, carefully, "Nick, its ok. We all have things we aren't proud of, or that we don't like to think about. I don't blame you for what you said under that spell. If you really need me to say it, then I forgive you."

"Madison told me," Nick said, "about your cancer."

"She said she would," Chip replied. "I'm sure she also told you that I don't talk about it."

"She did," Nick admitted, "I just, I wanted to say that I admire you. Most people would have given up the first time."

Chip grinned, "I guess it just proves I'm too stupid to know when to die." He took an arrow from his quiver, "Now, if you don't mind, I have practice. There's a competition in a few weeks and I am not going to cost my team the meet."

"Sure," Nick replied, stepping out of the way. "I didn't know you liked archery."

Chip shrugged as he knocked the arrow, "It's one of the few times I feel settled. Usually, my mind's going so fast that it's hard to focus, but when I'm shooting, all that matters is the target and nothing else intrudes. I have to go home soon, and I _know_ it's going to be a mad house so it's nice to have some peace."

"Yeah," Nick said, softly, as if he was talking to himself instead of Chip, "Peace."


	37. Honor 6

Disclaimer: I still don't own Power Rangers

A/N: I had some free time and some inspiration, so I decided to write another chapter of Honor. The first section breaks are to indicate that there is a time change to the night before and then it goes back to the 'present'. A Quarab is a real horse, it's a horse that is half Quarter Horse and half Arabian. Also, I strongly recomend reading 'The Man Behind The Cape' to understand why Chip isn't really as OOC as he seems, I believe with his AU history he's being fairly IC. The superhero costume is cannon, but I stole the bit about 'beating to death with a paper napkin' from an HP story. The trebuchet story is something I could totally see Chip doing. Also, I made up Chip's mantra, because it seemed like something he would have, his own personal code and all that.

* * *

Of all the aspects of living on the farm, Chip loved the horses best. He didn't mind doing the chores like mucking out, because in return he could go riding on his days off. He even had his own horse, a grey Quarab gelding named Dark Star for the black marking on his face, not unlike a star. The gelding had been his conspirator in any number of dreams for the past four years, being his mount in everything from dragon hunting to jousting tournaments. Today, however, Chip didn't picture anything, he just wanted to run, and Star was willing to oblige. They galloped down the galloping lane together, fast enough that Chip didn't have to think about the day before, but not fast enough to escape it. They came out of the straight away and Chip pulled up, sending Star to a canter, and then a trot, posting automatically as they approached the crooked, downward slope that led to the creek. As Star slowed to a walk at the start of the decent, Chip found his mind going back to what had been a normal day at the Rock Porium…

xxXXxx

There wasn't any new stock to go up, and the cleaning was done, so all that was left for Chip and Xander was to wait for closing. Chip had been flipping through the comics, supposedly zoning when Xander had cornered him. "Chip, we need to talk," Xander said.

"What about," Chip asked, putting the comic back on the shelf.

"You've been acting weird for weeks," Xander said, "and I mean weirder than you normally are."

Chip hesitated, then began to straighten the comics, "I'm fine, Xander. I'm sure you're just imagining things."

"Chip, you've had three doctor's appointments," Xander said, "and you haven't told any of us about them."

Chip sighed, "That's nothing, Xander," he said. He stared at the comic books, "There was a problem with the blood work. They showed high levels of white blood cells in the first test and they did a second, deeper test to see if it meant anything. My second test came back clean. I probably just had an infection or something that I wasn't aware of."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Xander asked quietly.

"Because there wasn't anything you could do," Chip replied, he leaned in slightly to make sure one stack of comics was perfectly straight.

"We could have supported you," Xander replied, a hint of anger in his voice.

"I didn't need support," Chip said, "It was just a blood test. It's not important."

"Not important," Xander grabbed his arm and shook it, rattling him enough that he stared at the Green Ranger. "Chip, you've had cancer twice. Even I am not so much an idiot that I don't know what that means. Every remission you have means you'll have less of a chance of survival. That's why you should have told us, if it was the cancer again, we could have done something. We're Rangers now."

Chip wrenched his arm from Xander's grip, "Why should I?" He asked.

"Why? Chip, we're your friends," Xander said, "we tell you the important things going on in our lives. We like it when you return that favor."

Chip had never been so relieved to hear the clock in Toby's office chime eight o'clock. He ducked around Xander and fled for the time clock, hands trembling as he punched out.

xxXXxx

Chip stopped Star at the stream and let the gelding drink a little before turning him down the path that meandered along beside the creek. He knew why he hadn't told his friends the truth, even if they didn't understand. His gut clenched at the memory of the bewildered hurt in Xander's eyes when he'd fled rather than talk about it.

It tightened even more as he remembered being eight years old and Nurse Sara telling him that his mother had died 'in an accident' and wouldn't be coming to see him. He remembered the silent fury that had built in the pediatrics wing when his father didn't show up for two weeks after the funeral, and even then, he hadn't stayed with Chip long.

He wrapped an arm over his stomach as he remembered being thirteen, bald and exhausted from another round of chemo, waiting weeks for his dad to remember to call him. He remembered the sinking feeling as his dad told him he'd gotten remarried and that he would continue staying with his aunt 'for now'. He remembered the lawyer who hadn't known he was in the living room and could hear very well, bringing adoption papers for _him._

He stopped Star and hung onto the saddle as he remembered meeting his stepmother and stepsister, the aura of anger and disgust that had been around them when he'd tried to be friendly. He swallowed against the rising nausea at the memory of meeting his three-year-old half sister and realizing that someone was already teaching that sweet faced, red haired little girl to hate him.

He gasped for air and began to whisper his mantra, _"If I am going to die tomorrow, I will not regret what I would not do, but what I could not do. I am Chip Thorne, and maybe other people don't see it, but I am a superhero. I will live my life by the code of a superhero. One, to defend those who are smaller and weaker than I am. Two, I will not stop fighting, no matter how big or how strong my enemy is. Three, I will not act without honor."_

His stomach settled and the memories faded again, leaving him sitting on his horse in the middle of a peaceful forest. He wiped his face and clucked to Star, sending him up the embankment and trotting back to the farm. He was supposed to meet the others for team bonding at Nick's sister's place, since she was out of town.

xxXXxx

Vida and the others were already waiting when he came up from the barn; all of them had their arms crossed and serious expressions on their face. "We need to talk," Vida said.

Chip nodded, and led the way into the house. "'Hip," Mandy cried when they walked in, running to him to be picked up.

"Hey Mandy-Pandy," Chip replied, scooping her up and turning her upside down, "what did you do today?"

"Put me down!" Mandy squealed.

"What's in it for me?" Chip asked, "Because I'm hungry and you're the perfect size for a snack!"

"Mommy!" Mandy cried.

"What's going on?" Andy asked as she came out of the kitchen.

"'Hip's gonna eat me," Many cried.

"I was going to share," Chip said as he indicated his friends with a slight jerk of his head.

"Why don't you give me the munchkin," Andy said, "and I'll give you guys something else."

"No thanks," Vida said, "we're supposed to go over to a friend's house for movie night. We just wanted to talk to Chip first."

"Ok," Andy said, taking Mandy from Chip. She kissed Chip's cheek, "Be safe, and do stay out to late."

"If it's later than nine, I'll call," Chip promised. He led his friends upstairs, spotting Luke down the hallway, he said, "Hey Luke, these are my friends, Vida, Madison and Xander. Guys, this is Luke Montoya."

"Hey mate," Xander said, while Vida and Madison waved.

"Hi," Luke replied, watching them warily.

"Just so you know," Chip added, "we might start yelling, but its ok. Vida just likes to yell, it makes her feel calmer. As long as nothing breaks, we're fine."

"Ok," Luke said.

Chip let his friends into his room and closed the door, "Let's try not to yell," he said calmly, "Luke has a thing about yelling and fighting."

"Why didn't you tell us," Vida demanded, but she kept her voice down.

"Because I didn't want you guys to freak out over what could have been a false alarm," Chip said.

"Why didn't you tell us after you knew?" Madison asked.

"Because it _was_ a false alarm, and it didn't matter," Chip replied. "It was just an elevated white blood cell count; it wasn't even at danger levels. They just wanted to double check."

"That doesn't mean you couldn't tell us, mate," Xander said.

Chip looked at his three friends, wishing they wouldn't crowd him, he sighed, "I should have, I'm sorry. It's just; it's cancer, my monster in the closet."

Predictably, Madison softened, "its ok," she told him. "But you know you can trust us."

"Yeah, I know," Chip replied as he felt his shoulders relax; maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

"Then why don't you?" Vida cut in.

"I do," Chip replied, stung. "I thought you knew that."

"It's kind of hard to believe when you won't tell us things," Vida said.

Chip opened his mouth, and closed it, because he couldn't think of a thing to say. He wasn't ready to admit to them just how jarred he'd been by the scare, how cracked his walls were. Mostly because he'd put a lot of effort into convincing the three people in front of him that he had no walls. He wasn't ready to let five, almost six years, of being Chip Thorne go and he was nearly on the precipice of just that.

He wasn't ready to let go of the guy who wore a superhero costume to prom. The guy who had threatened to beat Madison's first boyfriend to death with a paper napkin if he'd ever hurt her, and then had gotten him with a balled up napkin from a 'misaimed' tabletop trebuchet in his freshman history class. He was Chip Thorne, who had believed in centaurs, fairies, knights and vampires, the Code of Chivalry, and the oath of a superhero. He pinned a towel to his back to mimic a cape and used a plunger, or a cardboard tube, or a spoon as his sword. He didn't play D&D because it was boring, but loved online gaming because of the variety of characters he could play.

One sentence and he could destroy all of that, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to yet.

"Chip," Xander said, touching his shoulder, "are you ok, mate?"

"Would you stop that?" Chip demanded, dodging away from Xander.

"What?" Xander asked, confused and hurt.

"Stop crowding me," Chip said, "getting that close isn't going to make me answer you." He shoved past Xander and began to pull off his shirt as he headed into his closet. "I told you the facts anyways, I had a funny reading, the doctors did new tests and I'm fine. It was probably just some random infection."

When he came out of the closet dressed in clean clothes, Vida said, "It wasn't a random infection, Chip. I know you were bruising easier than normal."

"What- what do you mean?" Chip asked.

"I saw them," Vida replied.

Chip turned away, looking out the window, "You were wrong," he said, "it was just a summer cold. It wasn't the cancer."

"How do you know," Madison asked.

Chip closed his eyes, pressed his forehead against the glass, and said, "Because otherwise what happened was the cancer _was_ coming back, and becoming a Ranger and getting magic made it go away. I don't know if I can believe that." He waited in silence to see how his friends would react to that.


	38. Honor 7

Disclaimer: I still don't own Power Rangers

A/N: Wow, my bunnies are ALL over the place. It's like, I know what's happening in three chapters, but not what's happening next. This chapter follows the episode "Rock Solid"

* * *

Chip found Madison at Rootcore, reading a spell book on the stairs overlooking the main room, "Hey," he said with a slight smile, "got a minute?"

Madison smiled, "Only if you give me a back rub, I'm still stiff."

"Sure," Chip said, and settled behind her. He rubbed her shoulders for a minute before he began to talk, "I was wondering, do I act gay?"

"What?" Madison said, "Where did that come from?"

"Nick," Chip replied, "he asked if Xander and I were dating."

Madison twisted to look at him for a moment, then turned back around, satisfied by whatever she'd seen on his face. "People have asked before, Chip, I've seen you shrug it off."

"Yeah, but why do they keep asking," Chip said, "it's not like I have a rainbow pin on my backpack or anything."

"Not anymore," Madison said teasingly.

"Madison," Chip said, "please, why do people keep thinking that Xander and I are dating?"

Madison hesitated for a moment, leaning into his hands almost automatically as he rubbed his thumbs into her neck. "Chip, don't take this the wrong way, but you have no concept of personal space." She bowed her head a little in response to the pressure. "It's what makes you so good with your cousins, you don't hesitate to hug or tickle, and it's a good thing. Sometimes it carries over to your friends as well. I don't mind personally, it's kind of comforting to get a hug when I'm feeling down. Vida and Xander don't seem to mind either, in fact, I would say you encourage them to drop their own personal boundaries in a good way. People who don't know you get the wrong impression."

Chip swallowed, "Does it bother Nick?"

"You surprise him," Madison said after a moment, "he hasn't made a real decision on if he likes it or not. At least, I don't think he has. I'm not his confidant, Chip, not like I am for Vida and Xander, or you for that matter. He's new, you have to give him time to fit in."

Chip shifted his hands, pressing the heels of his hands into the space between Madison's shoulder blades and the small of her back and making circles. He stared at the back of her neck for a long moment, trying to think of something to say.

"Did you talk to Ben?" Madison asked.

Chip jerked, "Uh, who?"

"Chip," Madison turned and stared at him.

"Maybe," Chip replied cautiously.

"You threatened him didn't you?" Madison demanded.

"What? Chip threatened someone?"

Chip jumped, and took advantage of Madison's diverted attention to stand up, "Hey Nick," he said, "I didn't threaten anyone, why would you think that?"

Madison huffed an amused sigh, "Because you do things like that."

"He does?" Nick said, leaning against the banister, "I never pictured you as the type to advocate violence, Chip, at least, not actual violence."

"I don't," Chip insisted, "and I threatened no one."

"I believe that Ben's exact words were," Madison said, "'Your red head friend is an interesting character. Do you know he threatened me with death by paper napkin if I hurt you?'"

"Death by paper napkin," Nick repeated, "does that actually work?"

"I don't know," Chip replied, "Maddie's never let me figure it out."

"And you won't be using Ben as a test subject," Madison added.

"Yes Madison," Chip sighed. He glanced at his watch and yelped, "I have to go, Aunt Andy's going to freak if I'm late for supper again. Glad you're not stone anymore, Madison," he jumped the stairs and fled.

TPFHTPFHTPFHTPFH

Vida found Chip finishing chores in the barn, "You know," she said, startling him, "I am perfectly capable of threatening my sister's boyfriends."

Chip grinned, "Yeah, but then your dad finds out and he goes all 'Taming of the Shrew' on Madison."

"Still," Vida began.

"And my threat only works if I have help," Chip added as he pushed the now empty wheelbarrow to it's place. "You're needed to help subdue and kidnap him, then Xander to tie him up with all those nifty knots he knows."

"The plan from freshman year," Vida said dryly, "do you still think that will work?"

"Do you think you could take him down?" Chip countered, then shook his head, "Sorry, I should know better than to question your butt kicking ability."

"Of course you should," Vida said, her tone turned teasing, "I'm more concerned about your fascination with Xander's knot tying ability. Should I be worried?"

"Only insofar as it pertains to killing whoever hurts Madison," Chip replied. He gave Vida a look, then started climbing up to the hayloft. When he reached the small room at the back of the hay that still bore the messily written sign proclaiming it the 'Fortress of Solitude', he glanced back to find Vida following him.

"What's wrong?" Vida asked as soon as the door shut behind him.

"People are asking the gay question again," Chip replied, "you aren't helping."

"You mean _Nick_ is asking about it," Vida said, "I knew I shouldn't have let Xander be the only one to punch him."

"And you wonder why he's asking," Chip muttered.

"Chip," Vida said, "you've never let the questions bother you before. I know, Xander knows and Madison knows that you're straight; Xander dates too much not to be straight." They shared grimaces, because Xander didn't really understand the meaning of the word discretion. "Why is it even bothering you? What happened to your ability to shrug off the opinions of others?"

"I don't know," Chip replied, "this is just, it's really bothering me that people are asking if I'm gay."

"I think you do know why," Vida replied, "but in interest of preserving what sanity you may happen to still have, I did actually have a motive to come over here."

"You mean other than to yell at me for threatening Ben?" Chip asked.

"Yes," Vida said, smacking the back of his head. "Charlie is getting married and I need a date for the wedding, you're going with me. Suite and tie, it's a formal thing, but _I'm_ not going to say anything if you, say, wear your Superman tie and matching cape."

Chip grinned, "You mean the clip on tie that looks like it has a comic printed on it?"

"Yeah, that one," Vida replied.

Chip rubbed his chin, pretending to think about it. He already knew he was going, in part because Vida hadn't given him a choice and in part because it was Vida, and he didn't mind doing favors for her. "When's the wedding?"

"Saturday, over in Woodland Hills. I'll come get you at two." Vida replied with a smirk.

"I'll be ready," Chip promised, he laughed, "I'll wear the suite Aunt Andy bought for prom!"

"Not the superhero costume," Vida began.

Chip flipped his hand, "No, the actual suite, the one my dad paid for and Aunt Andy had tailored. Dad still can't believe I wore my costume instead, even though I _told_ him I was going to." The two Rangers exchanged amused smiles.

"Chip!"

They jumped, and Chip hurried to open the door, "Yeah, Lucas?"

"Dinner's on the table," Lucas called back, "Ms. Andy wants to know if your friends are staying."

Chip looked at Vida, who shook her head, "Can't, family thing."

Chip nodded slightly, "No," he called back, "and we're coming." He headed out the door and got a good look at Lucas's surprise when only Vida followed him down. "I'll see you tomorrow, V," Chip said.

"Don't be late," Vida replied.

Chip watched her drive off and sighed. "Ok," Lucas said, "I'm confused. Are you dating Vida?"

Chip managed to stop laughing before Lucas decided he was hysterical and went for help. Barely.


	39. Honor 8

Disclaimer; I still don't own Power Rangers

A/N: This is the night before and morning of the episode 'Whispering Voices'. There's just something about Chip and the toliet plunger ya know? Also "Warning" references underage drinking...

* * *

"Chip," Andy said when he came in, "how was the wedding?"

Chip glanced in the living room, and slumped into an empty arm chair, "Never again," he said, kicking off his shoes.

"What?" Andy asked.

"I am never going to a wedding with Vida again," Chip said, running a hand through his short hair. "Especially when her mom isn't there."

"Oh dear," Andy said, covering a smile, "what happened?"

"Before or after they started serving wine?" Chip asked, unclipping his tie and untying his cape. "Before, she wouldn't stop complaining, the music, the food, the dancing, she didn't like _any_ of it. Once she started sneaking wine, she decided to do something about what she hated. At first, she just made me dance, which was awkward yet hilarious. Once she got bored with that, she kicked the DJ off the tables and took over. By the time Maddie and I got her out of there, she'd managed to piss off the bride's whole family."

"Oh," Andy said, laughing softly, "What did Charlie say?"

"He avoided me," Chip replied, "but the best man asked me if we did birthday parties. He was, apparently, drunk enough to find it all very entertaining." He slumped for a moment longer, then stood up, "I need to get out of this suit. I'm not hungry, so I'll probably just go straight to bed."

"Sleep well," Andy said and kissed his cheek.

Chip carried his things upstairs and barred himself in his room. Methodically, he undressed, pulled on a pair of bright green sleep pants with yellow rubber ducks on it, hung up his suite and draped his cape over his desk chair. Then he threw himself onto his bed and let his mind replay the last half hour of the wedding. Madison had led the DJ and a few guests to retake the tables so that some slow, romantic music could be played, and Vida had retreated, following Chip outside for some fresh air. They were barely outside the security light when Vida had stopped him, pushed him up against a conveniently parked car and kissed him.

He knew she was a friendly drunk, could remember distinctly their forays into alcohol as teenagers. He had never pegged her as the type to ram someone up against a car, much less shove her tongue down someone's throat. Not to mention her _hands._

Madison's timely arrival had made them pull apart and now, it left Chip even more confused than he had been twelve hours ago. He had thought he was ok with Xander, and his not-so-straight feelings, until Nick had started poking at those feelings. He never pictured Vida as available, same as Madison. Not until last night. His eyes drifted shut and he let sleep pull him into dreams.

_DSHonorDSHonorDS_

_They were in the woods, him and Vida. They'd been sparring, when Vida suddenly trapped his arm. "You'll have to choose one day, Chip. You can't be in love with both of us."_

_DSHonorDSHonorDS_

Chip jerked awake to the sound of his alarm and then groaned softly. The dream slid into his mind and he sat up, _Why me?_ He thought, looking around his room, _why me? _He turned off his alarm and got up, getting his things together and heading for the bathroom, smirking at Nicole's shriek of outrage when he beat her to it.

Showered and dressed, Chip packed his backpack, put his Rock Porium shirt on top and headed downstairs. Aunt Andy was making breakfast when he entered the kitchen, "I swear," she said, smiling at him, "you and Nicole are more like siblings than cousins."

Chip smiled as he opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of apple juice, "It's not my fault she's slow in the mornings." He shut the fridge and slid around his aunt to the pantry.

"Are you going to eat breakfast?" Andy asked.

"No," Chip replied, grabbing a handful of granola bars and dropping them in his bag, "I'll just take a Pop Tart," he slid a package of the breakfast pastry and added it to his bag. He kissed Andy's cheek, "It's pay day, and Madison owes me lunch. I have to go to the bookstore before work."

"Be careful," Andy replied, "I think Kara and I are going to take the troops to Water World today."

Chip sucked air between his teeth, "Man, I wish I didn't have to work, I'd go with. Be nice to get away from Briarwood for a while."

"Yes," Andy agreed, "but you do, so be careful. I don't want to come home and find that you've been turned into a bug or something because of the monsters."

Chip grinned, "Don't worry, I'll steer clear of the monsters. That's the Power Rangers' job." He pressed a kiss to Mandy's forehead and ruffled Tyler's hair on his way past the kitchen table.

Nicole was in the hallway, waiting for him. "Cassie had another nightmare," she whispered, "just like the others. She still insists there's something in her room at night."

Chip nodded, "Look, I have an idea. I need you to keep an eye on things tonight." He eyed her for a moment, "Cassie likes crocodiles, right?"

"Right," Nicole replied.

"Then leave everything to me," Chip said. He let himself out of the house and headed, not for the bookstore, but for the toy store. He walked back out with a large and rather ugly crocodile. Glancing at his watch, he realized he didn't have time to go to Rootcore and get back for work. Looking at the crocodile, he grinned, because it wasn't so much that he needed an excuse as that he liked having fun.

Vida was on the tables again, and Xander on the register, while Madison was stocking CDs. She'd put the CD boxes out where she could both keep an eye on them and reach them easy. "Hey Chip," Xander said, "What's with the alligator?"

"Alligator," Chip said, his mind spinning a story to cover his real plans, "This is no alligator, my good man. This is a crocodile, and a fearsome one at that." He held it up, "I found him all alone and sad because he had nothing to protect and I told him I would help." He put the crocodile on the floor, "For now, he can guard the store while I get ready to go on shift."

He dove into the back room and pulled on his work shirt, glancing around, he spotted the new plunger and the paper hat one of the children had given him. He fitted the hat on his head and leaped back out onto the main floor. Xander glanced at him, and sighed, "What are you doing _now?"_

Chip waved the plunger, "I'm going to help my friend the crocodile defend the store!"


	40. Honor 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers

A/N: Um, yeah, I had this idea of Chip, years later, making these toys for pediatric cancer patients to help them not be afraid of hospitals.

* * *

Chip found Udonna alone in the main room at Rootcore, "Udonna, do you have a moment," he asked as he dropped his crocodile on the table beside the crystal ball.

"How can I help you, Chip?" Udonna replied, smiling at him as she came down the stairs.

"It's like this," Chip said, "my foster cousin, Cassie, is having these nightmares. She keeps insisting that something is coming into her room at night. I haven't mastered being able to completely shield, but the wards I put up last night have indicated that something is going on."

"What do you want to do?" Udonna asked.

"I don't want to alarm my family by acting openly," Chip said, "so I thought, maybe I could enchant this croc for her." He also pulled out a folded piece of paper, "I wrote down some ideas, but I don't know the spells. I thought maybe you could teach them to me."

"I could do it myself," Udonna offered.

"Yeah, but what about the next time?" Chip asked, "If I learn how to do it, then I won't have to ask every time."

Udonna smiled, "You have a good heart, Chip. What is it you want the crocodile to do?"

"First, I want him to protect Cassie," Chip replied, "but there have to be certain conditions to it. Like, I don't want people to see him move or glow, or make sounds. To everyone on the farm and in public, except me and Cassie, he has to seem like a toy. I want him to be able to move, and maybe growl, when Cassie's scared or under attack." He unfolded the paper, "I thought that maybe he could even grow bigger if the threat was big enough, but that might be too complicated. Secondly, I want to know if she's under attack, so a ward of some sort that can alert me."

Udonna nodded, "You want a sentinel, then."

"I guess," Chip replied.

"Come to the library and I'll show you what books you will need to read," Udonna said.

"Great," Chip said, he hesitated, slowly picking up the stuffed toy, "If this is going to take awhile, maybe you could teach me something that could keep Cassie safe for a little while?"

"I will," Udonna replied.

…

"Nick," Chip said, surprised, "what are you doing here?" He glanced around the small hardware store.

"I need a hammer," Nick replied, "my sister's broke. What about you?"

"The hammers are this way," Chip said, gesturing, "I came here looking for a good file." He shrugged, "My uncles don't let me use the farm tools anymore unless it's to do something specifically for the farm."

"Why not?" Nick asked as they started walking towards the tools.

Chip grinned, "Because I used to have trouble with losing things. Uncle Bryan can't afford to replace hammers every time I get creative and Uncle John would probably take a hammer to _me_ if I went rooting in his tools."

"Madison told me a bit about your family," Nick said, casually.

"I asked her to," Chip replied, "she's good at explaining things like that."

"Why?" Nick asked as they reached the hammers.

"I told you," Chip replied, "Maddie's good at explaining things." He moved up the aisle, heading for the files.

"Where are you going," Nick asked.

"To get a file," Chip replied.

"I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you," Nick said.

"I know," Chip replied as he reached the end of the aisle. He glanced to the left or right, trying to remember where he might have seen the files. He picked left and started up the next aisle. It took two aisles before Nick caught up with him, and he ignored the frustrated Red Ranger as he studied the different files.

"Chip," Nick said after Chip put a third file back on its hook.

"Yeah," Chip asked.

"I'm really trying to get to know you," Nick said, "it's hard to do when you won't talk to me."

"I talk to you," Chip replied, picking up another file.

"You talk to me about imaginary castles and moats," Nick said, "I don't hear all that much about you talking about yourself."

Chip nodded slightly and turned to smile at Nick, "Isn't it refreshing to know someone who _doesn't_ talk about himself? I always thought it was nice. Besides, I'm really quite boring."

"Yeah," Nick said, "I doubt it." He glanced at the file, "Why do you need a file anyways?"

Chip grinned, "I'm giving my foster cousin a crocodile to protect her, but I need to file his nails down first so that she doesn't get hurt."

…

Chip slipped into the room Cassie and Mandy shared, Cassie was playing tea party with some of the dolls while Mandy had her bath. "Hey Cassie," Chip said with a smile, "I brought you a gift." Cassie stared up at him, and smiled. Chip felt his heart ache for her all over again, Cassie rarely said anything, but she was the sweetest little girl. It wasn't fair for her to be targeted by nightmares. To distract himself, Chip pulled the crocodile from behind his back, "This is Kona, Cassie."

"Crocodile," Cassie said.

"Yup," Chip replied, "he's for you, but Cassie, this is a magical crocodile." He handed the toy over, "Let me tell you Kona's story ok?"

Cassie nodded as she latched onto the toy. A faint creak warned Chip that someone else was going to listen to his story and he took a deep breath.

"The other day, I was walking in the forest and I was thinking about you. I knew you were afraid of the monsters hiding in the closet, but nothing I could do could chase them away. I had tried everything I could think of. As I was walking, though, I heard someone crying. Whoever it was sounded so sad that I felt that I had to go and help him. I followed the sound of crying until I found a clearing with big rocks in it, and laying on one of the rocks was a crocodile. Now, I'll tell you the truth, I was a little afraid, because who expects to find a crocodile in a forest, even if he is crying? Well, this crocodile looked so sad, that I decided to see if I could help him and I asked, 'Crocodile, why are you crying?'

"And that crocodile looked at me and he said, 'I cry because I am alone.'" Chip smiled, "I told him my name was Chip and I was a superhero, and he replied, 'I'm called Kona, and I am a guardian crocodile.' So I asked Kona what a guardian crocodile did, and he said, 'I was made to protect a child, to guard dreams and wishes and to keep secrets.' Then he began to cry again, 'but I have no child to protect!'

"Well I got to thinking, and I told him about you, I said, 'I know a little girl who needs a protector. She's been having a lot of bad dreams and there's a monster living in her closet and nothing I do will make it go away.' I also told him about how you were the sweetest little girl I knew and that you liked to draw and play dress up. You know what Kona said to me? He said, 'I can protect a little girl like that. If you take me to her, I will defend her from the monster in her closet.' Well, I was worried, because he was a crocodile, and he showed me how his magic could make him look like a toy and he taught me special words to say that would make sure that he could protect you."

Chip put his hand on Cassie's shoulder, "First, though, you have to decide if you want Kona to protect you. If you want him to, you have to ask him and give him a great big hug."

Cassie's smile as she hugged the toy was definitely worth it, "Kona," she whispered, "I want you to protect me." Then she gasped, "He moved!"

Chip chuckled, "Maybe he did, Cassie, I don't pretend to understand the magic of a guardian crocodile. Now," he rested his hand on Cassie's head, "I have to say the magic words." He slipped his other hand in his jacket pocket and pulled out his Mystic Morpher, temporarily disguised as a stick. "With this wand of living willow," he intoned, "I bind thee, Cassandra Jones and thee, Kona Crocodile. Know in thy hearts the truth of love and companionship that neither of these will ever be lonely again. _Idilaum, protectorum, Cassirum."_ Thankfully, Udonna had taught him how to do this without a light show, but he could see a hint of the magic binding them as it caused a wind to ruffle Cassie's blond curls. "There," Chip said, "now, whenever you think there's a monster, you just hug him extra tight, say 'Get them, Kona', and Kona's magic will protect you." He tapped Cassie on her nose with his finger, "And don't be surprised if other people don't believe you about Kona. Sometimes, people become adults too fast, and they give up their belief in magic to do it."

"Thank you, Chip," Cassie half whispered as Chip stood up.

"Welcome, Cassie," Chip replied as he headed for the door.

Andy and Mandy were in the hallway, "You do realize she's never going to let go of that thing, right?" Andy asked as Mandy ran in to see the crocodile.

"Of course," Chip replied, giving his aunt a grin, "What's the point in having a guardian crocodile if she leaves him behind? I checked, her preschool will let her bring a toy and it may be exactly what she needs to make friends."

"You're a good man," Andy said and hugged him, "your mother would be proud of you."

Chip held his aunt for a long moment, "I know she is," he whispered.


	41. Honor 10

Disclaimer: Still don't own Power Rangers

A/N: Two things; John isn't exactly Chip's uncle, although he might say 'Uncle John'. Andy is Chip's aunt by blood, Brian is her husband and John is his brother. Johnny Stewart = Justin's dad. Chapter reference 'Stranger Within 1 & 2'

* * *

There were days when Chip wanted a few minutes of privacy, when every voice calling his name felt like a bruise on his soul. Then there were days where Chip didn't mind being a part of life at Winterlight, when it was cool to be the one everyone wanted to spend time with. Then there was today, and a handful of days just like it, when he didn't want to be alone.

Today, a rare day off from the Rock Porium, Chip volunteered to help John on one of his remodels. The project was to finish a basement as a rental apartment, and John needed help hanging drywall on the ceiling and the walls. It wasn't the first time Chip had helped out, he often went along when John needed a second, especially when Chip had something on his mind that he needed to talk about.

At lunch, as they sat on floor of the future kitchen and ate, John watched him, "Something on your mind, Chip?" He asked finally.

"I guess," Chip replied, "I just don't have a beginning."

"I'm taking a wild guess, but does it have anything to do with your sudden fascination with the color yellow and your interesting bruise collection?" John asked.

"What?" Chip asked.

"Chip, you aren't the most subtle person around," John told him, "but your Aunt says we should respect your privacy."

Chip smiled a little, "It's not about that," he said, "but thank you, for not asking."

"You're an adult now," John said, "as scary as that seems."

Chip chuckled, "Yeah, I am. Maybe that's the problem."

"Well, being an adult can be scary, but it's also a lot of fun," John said, "Kara and I were actually talking about taking that cruise over Christmas like we've been threatening to."

Chip nodded, "You should go," he said, "you two deserve a nice vacation." He stared at his half eaten sandwich for a long moment, "John, how did you know Kara was the one?"

"Ah," John said, "someone's falling in love."

"Maybe," Chip replied, "but, I though you only fell _in_ love with one person."

"What do you mean?" John asked.

"Nick asked me if I was dating Xander," Chip said, "which I'm not. Luke asked if I was dating Vida, and I'm not. Madison says it's because I touch people I'm close to more than most people do. The thing is, I look at Madison and I see a friend, she's practically my sister, and I look at Nick and I see a friend I want to know better. When I look at Vida and Xander, it's different. I don't think of them as family, like Madison, or just a friend, like Nick."

John nodded slightly, "I see," he said. "Chip, you know I went to college, right?"

"Yeah," Chip replied.

"Well, in college, I had a friend named Johnny Stewart and Johnny dated this girl off and on for a few months. Her name was Katanya and she said the strangest thing to me once, I think you should hear it." John put his sandwich down and took a sip of water, "She said, I think that the more people a person can love, the better, it lets a little more light into the world. People who shun those who want to practice polygamy may think they're doing good, but they're helping the Dark gain a foothold with the best of intentions."

"What did she mean by that," Chip asked.

"At the time, I thought she was trying to invite me into some Hippie, free-love commune, and I turned her down," John said, "and she laughed at me. She said, John, unlike Johnny, you might love a big family, but you're only going to be in love with one person. It's not a bad thing, as long as you don't let your nature close your mind."

"So she was saying that you shouldn't practice polygamy, but you should, what, support it?" Chip asked after a moment.

"Katanya supported love," John corrected him, "in all its forms. She talked that way to everyone she met. Johnny really cared for her and I thought she loved him back, but I had to come back to the farm for the summer and when I went back to college, she was gone. Johnny never talked about her, and a year later he was engaged to Annalisa."

"What does this have to do with me?" Chip asked.

"Chip, you have the most generous nature in the world," John said, "and, with the possible exception of your step family, you care for everyone. Stop worrying about what kind of love you feel for your friends, and just love them. Whatever is supposed to be between you and them, it'll work out." He picked up his sandwich, "Just make sure you know what you want before you tell Andy and Brian. If you're certain of what you want, they'll help you deal with your dad."

Chip snorted, "I don't care what _he_ thinks." Glancing up at John, he said, "It's not like he's been anything like a father to me in years. So far as I'm concerned, Aunt Andy and Uncle Brian are my parents more so than _he_ is." He stared at his water bottle for a moment, "Actually, legally, they are my parents."

John choked on his sandwich, but waved Chip away.

"I was home when the lawyers brought the guardianship papers," Chip told him bluntly, "I was in the kitchen getting something to drink. I never said anything because Aunt Andy was so afraid of telling me."

"She was afraid it would hurt your recovery," John said.

"If anything, it made me stronger," Chip replied. He leaned his head against a stud and stared at the half finished ceiling. "John," he said finally.

"Yes Chip?" John asked.

"I'm a Power Rangers," Chip kept his gaze on the ceiling, "the Yellow Mystic, to be exact. That's why I've been obsessed with yellow and covered in bruises. I'm Earth's second male Yellow, but I won't get a chance to meet D- the first male Yellow, until after we've won. I'm not supposed to tell anyone, but I feel guilty for lying about it."

"Thank you for telling me," John said, "I won't say anything."

Chip smiled tightly, "I really don't want Aunt Andy or Uncle Brian to worry, but if you want to tell Kara, you can."

"I'll think about it," John replied.

"John," Chip said.

"Yes Chip?" John asked.

"I really don't want to hold up sheetrock," Chip replied.

"You quitting on me?" John asked.

"I'm feeling a bit sore from the battle yesterday," Chip replied, "Necrolai turned Vida into a Vampire and between the two of them, I feel like I got turned into a punching bag by mystake."

John laughed, "Come on, Chip, let's get this done. Magic or no magic, sitting here won't earn our pay."


	42. Honor 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers; although Nicole is mine.

A/N: Lucky ducks, I'm just going through a mega-creative phase, no? Another note about Nicole at the bottom.

* * *

Nicole stalked into the Rock Porium, "Vida, Xander," she said in an overly calm tone of voice, "I need to talk to you." She couldn't help looking at the other people in the room, that is, the other Rangers. Madison she knew, and had always liked, it was fitting that she be Lady Blue. The other was Nick, a Lord Red. While Vida and Xander processed her command, she amused herself by giving him a long, judging stare, Lady to Lord.

"Hi Nicole," Vida said, "what can we do for you?" Nicole studied them as they came closer and fought to keep her protective instincts in control.

"This would be better in private," Nicole replied, flicking a glance at the customer looking at the comic books.

"Back room," Xander said as he exchanged a look with Vida.

Once the door shut, Nicole took a deep breath and let some of her frustration and anger leak out. "You two need to stop," she told them.

"Stop what?" Vida asked.

"Stop getting almost killed," Nicole replied, "stop turning into weird and unusual things. _Stop playing games with Chip's heart."_ She took a deep breath and stepped back, mentally and physically. Chip might not have been her teammate, but he was her family and these two had been pushing her buttons for at least a year.

"What are you talking about?" Xander asked, his voice breaking as he tried to disassemble.

"I know Chip's the Yellow Mystic, and I know you two are Pink and Green," Nicole said, crossing her arms. This wasn't the time to play games with them, she was going to come clean. "I'm not as stupid as you like to pretend, Xander, and I know that when Chip has a problem, he talks to Uncle John. Most of the time, Chip goes on a job with Uncle John, but when he can't, they talk in the barn."

"And you are the inveterate eavesdropper," Vida said.

"Chip needs someone to look out for him," Nicole replied, "he gives his heart too easily." She looked at the two of them, "You two have the lion's share of it and every time you do something stupid, you hurt him."

"How do you know we're Rangers," Xander asked, clearly not able to keep up as much as Vida was.

Nicole sighed, "Because I'm a Ranger kid." She uncrossed her arms, "My mom was a Ranger off planet, so was my birth dad. Mom came here to escape SPD when I was little, when she first got sick, she decided to get marries. Ian was sweet and solicitous and came off as a good father who couldn't have children of his own. Then she died and that _despardo_ became an abusive asshole. Mom was a Blue, and even though I'm not, she taught me the value of paying attention. You're more subtle than some of the off world Rangers, but anyone who knows how and what to look for can tell." She looked at them, "But this isn't about me, this is about Chip and the fact that you two are idiots. Whatever it is you two feel, I don't know, and I don't care, but Chip loves you."

Vida's morpher went off, followed by Xander, "Hold on," Vida said, she flipped open her phone, "Vida here."

Nicole smiled dryly as Vida turned the speakerphone on, "Vida, something has happened to Chip," a shaky voice announced, sounding both young and afraid. "Phineas found him in the forest, Udonna says that you and Xander need to come now."

Nicole blinked twice, "Go," she told them, "I'll tell Maddie and Nick." She pushed at them, "Take care of Chip for me."

"For you," Vida said dryly.

Nicole tilted her head, "If I had a morpher, I'd be a Red like my dad, ok? Chip isn't my Ranger, but he's my brother. Go save him."

"We're gone," Xander said, opening the door with Vida on his heels.

Nicole followed them, catching Madison's eye, she jerked her head towards Nick at the register and approached as the customer left. "What's going on?" Madison asked.

"Something happened to Chip," Nicole told them, "Someone named Phineas found him and someone named Udonna told Vida and Xander she needed them. I have to go, mom's waiting for me." She hesitated for a moment, "Lady Blue, Lord Red," she nodded to them and walked out of the story, slipping her headphones over her ears.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Chip had been in the forest seeking ingredients to a spell he wanted to try when something had hit him from behind and he blacked out.

That much he was certain of.

Now he stood in his high school science class, and from the number of people who walked through him, he was a ghost of some sort. He looked around, seeing familiar faces, until a shriek of laughter led him to where Xander was flirting. _Belinda Carmichael,_ he thought, _actress._ Beyond them, Chip saw himself, doing the science experiment Xander had been assigned to help him with alone. He'd done it because he needed his science grades to stay up, and Xander would flirt with the nearest girl if the teacher didn't keep an eye on things.

Vida and Madison were at the station on the other side of Chip, whispering together as they worked. As his gaze settled on the sisters, he found he could hear them. _"It's so obvious,"_ Madison murmured.

"_He's like a puppy,"_ Vida replied. Suddenly she turned a looked right at Chip, and she looked older, with the pink streak in her hair she favored now. "You have to choose Chip," she said.

"Choose what?" Chip asked.

"You already know," Vida replied before vanishing in a cloud of pink smoke. The room wavered and became unclear.

Chip closed his eyes to fight the vertigo.

* * *

A/N: Concerning Nicole: In Year of the Trio, I borrowed some from my 'Song' plot for the time travel. In Get in Gear, I have found a need for certain things to be considered plot in the Brotherhood. Because (as I've said before) up until the year 2008, they share the timeline. Nicole is human, and she was in the range of three to four years old when her mother moved to Earth. Before her mom died, Nicole had visited with her birth father off planet on occasion, usually once or twice a year even though the paperwork put together by Lightspeed lists her mother as a single mom and she was adopted by her stepfather. She was ten when her mom died, eleven when she was fostered at Winter Light and twelve when they adopted her. A few more facts about Nicole will come out in future chapters, and she'll probably have something to do in the SPD timeline, but this is mostly to give her a good background for Get in Gear and to set up a few things for Vida, Xander and Chip.


	43. Honor 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers

A/N: And I have no clue what is going on with Honor. This was not in the outline... Oh well. I'll just keep writing and see where it goes.

* * *

When Chip opened his eyes, he found himself in the high school cafeteria. He looked around, and spotted himself sitting with Vida and Madison at one table. A burst of laughter led him to Xander, sitting with some of the popular kids. From the clothes, and the faces, Chip guesstimated this to be their sophomore year. "Look at him," one of the girls said, looking across the cafeteria. "He's such a geek."

"He's not so bad," Xander replied, following her gaze. Chip didn't have to look to know they were talking about him. "Chip's smart to."

"Maybe," the girl's friend said, "but if he was anymore obvious about his crush, he'd really put the _puppy_ in puppy love."

The whole table roared with laughter, although Chip noticed that Xander looked uneasy. Suddenly, he stopped laughing and stared at Chip, the boy's face morphing into the man's face before he could blink. "You have to make the choice, Chip."

"What choice?" Chip demanded.

"You already know," Xander replied as the room spun again.

…

"Why won't he wake up?" Vida asked as she looked down at Chip. Unconscious, the energetic red head looked small and fragile, like the child he pretended to be but had never been.

"I do not know," Udonna said, "I have done what I could, but healing spells have never been my forte."

Vida's phone rang; she pulled it out even as she marveled that the thing actually got cell reception out here. There was a text message from an unknown number. _V, mom worried 4 chip. Do something. Niki_

"What is it?" Udonna asked.

"Chip's cousin, Nicole," Vida replied, "saying her mom, Chip's aunt, is worried about him."

"This Nicole," Udonna said, "she knows?"

"Yes," Vida said, "she said her parents were Rangers or something. She was talking kind of fast." _She said Chip loved me, and Xander._

"We have to do something," Xander said as he burst into the room with a book in his hand. "There has to be something in these books that can help him."

"We have to figure something out," Vida replied, "Aunt Andy's going to freak if Chip doesn't come home. You know how protective she can get if he doesn't call."

Xander winced, "I remember," he said.

"What can we do?" Madison asked from behind Xander, "It's not like we can just call her up and pretend he's spending the night at Xander's apartment."

"Why not?" Nick asked, he sounded like he was coming up the stairs, "Sounds perfect to me."

Vida snorted, Xander blushed and Madison smiled, "We can't do that anymore," Xander said. "Not after Ocean Bluffs."

"Short version," Madison said, "is that if you think Chip has energy when he's sober is nothing on Chip with alcohol. I thought he'd be passed out, but it didn't work that way."

"Chip on a sugar rush," Vida said, "also known as a good way to get arrested."

They shared grins at the memory.

"After that," Xander said, "Aunt Andy said that if Chip was going to live on the farm then she'd know where he was, even if he was fifty, and she wouldn't buy any of us calling and telling her that."

"What about a hospital?" Udonna suggested, "A Ranger could bring him in as a victim of a monster attack."

"No," Vida and Xander said together.

"No hospitals," Madison said, "Chip would never forgive us."

"I think it might work," Nick said, "if he doesn't wake up soon."

"No," Vida said, standing up. "We aren't putting Chip in a hospital."

Nick finally put in an appearance behind Madison, who moved out of Vida's way when Vida stepped forward, "Why not," Nick said, "I don't know how to care for someone in a coma. Hospitals do, that's why they're there."

"You selfish pig," Vida said, "didn't you _listen_ to Madison? When Chip goes into the hospital, something bad _always_ happens to him."

Nick stared at her as Xander stepped out from between them, "So he had cancer as a kid," Nick began.

Vida had never felt the same sweet satisfaction of landing a perfect punch anywhere else. It was intoxicating to see someone fall back from her and even more exciting when the blood flowed. Warm hands catching her arms were moments too late, and the blue that obscured the red haze brought her back. Madison was shouting at Nick, "You are an insensitive idiot," she was saying. "Chip went to the hospital as a kid and his mother _died._ He went back, and his dad gave up custody of him. You think he lives with his Aunt and Uncle for _kicks._ He lives with them because his dad doesn't want him anymore, and gave them legal guardianship when he was thirteen."

Xander was holding her back, his arms around her middle, his chest pressed close to her back. "Are you ok?" He whispered in her ear, making her feel shivery.

"Fine," Vida said.

Xander's grip relaxed, but he didn't step to far back, as if he were going to catch her before she tried to hit Nick again. The Red Ranger was standing up; she could see him over Madison's shoulder, holding his bleeding nose and looking stunned as Madison finally began to wind down from her high volume lecture.

Madison stopped talking, and Chip suddenly moaned. Vida spun so fast she elbowed Xander in his side, but the green ranger didn't say anything as Vida threw herself down beside Chip's bed. "Chip," Vida said, staring at his face.

Chip moaned again and threw his head to one side, "Can't choose," he announced, his eyes opening to stare at them without seeing.

"Choose what?" Xander asked.

"Can't choose," Chip said again. "Don't make me." His eyes fluttered shut and his body arched for a moment before relaxing again.

Vida clenched her hands to hide their trembling as she stared at her friend's face. "Vida," Xander whispered, "Maybe we should."

"I can't," Vida said, equally softly. Her mind was spinning fast, trying to make sense of what Chip had said.

"Keep an eye on him," Xander said, and squeezed her shoulder gently but firmly before stepping away. "Nick, Madison, let's step outside for a moment."

Udonna rested her hand on Vida's shoulder, "Vida," she said, "I think I know what has happened to Chip."

"Can you heal him?" Vida asked, standing up.

"No," Udonna said, "unfortunately, the only one who can save Chip is Chip."

"What does that even mean?" Vida asked.

"Chip is under the effect of a NyghtMare," Udonna replied, "there once were seven of them, but only one is known to be still alive. The NyghtMare of Despair, she is called. One of her spells is the Spell of Choice." Udonna looked down at Chip, "She is trying to force him to make some choice, to give up something he wants dearly."

"Why?" Vida asked her voice cracking.

"For every dream or hope Chip chooses, there is one he much give up," Udonna replied gently. "Eventually, the choices will diminish his soul until he is lost."

"We can't lose him," Vida said.

Udonna rested her hands on Vida's shoulders, "In the library are the journals of the Slayers of NyghtMares, surely in them is the solution."

The door to the room opened, and Xander stepped in, "Vida," he said, "Madison wanted you to help her in the library. She had some sort of an idea."

"Ok," Vida said, "Udonna and I figured something out too." As she headed to the door she stopped and put her hand on Xander's arm, "Do what you have to," she told him, staring in his eyes.


	44. Honor 13

Disclaimer: I still don't own Power Rangers

A/N: I think there's going to be two more chapters of this, and then we'll be back on plot.

* * *

Xander took a deep breath and cast the spell to levitate Chip's body. He wasn't about to let Nick put Chip in the hospital; he intended to do it by himself. Although he would be morphed, Xander knew there was a risk of his accent being noticed, Xander was not about to let his friend go through it alone. "I'll be back in an hour," he promised the anxiously watching Claire and Udonna. Madison glanced up from her book, but quickly turned back, she wasn't happy with the decision to send Chip to the ER, even though she had agreed.

"Be careful," Udonna said. She was standing strong, but had a brittle look on her face. Xander thought she was fighting not to remember what had happened to the other Mystics or the victims of the NyghtMares in the past.

"I certainly will," Xander agreed, wishing he could find the words to remind Udonna that she was dealing with a new Mystic Force, a team that had yet to give up.

He left Rootcore with Chip close beside him. He reached out and slid on hand around his chest before pressing his other hand against the tree. His arrival on the other side was unnoticed by anyone, so he hurried down the sidewalk to the hospital's emergency room. It was quiet when he stepped inside, and he was quickly surrounded by nurses. "This young man," he said, "was the victim of a monster attack. We have tried to free him of the spell, but have not yet succeeded. The Rangers are not equipped to care for a person in a long term coma, and we know he must have a worried family in Briarwood."

A stretcher was brought and he levitated Chip onto it neatly. "We will continue to study the spell," he told them, "and if we find a solution, we will inform you immediately."

"We'll take care of him," a nurse said as a doctor appeared.

"What's going on?" The doctor demanded.

"A monster attack victim," the nurse said.

"He is under a spell," Xander added, "the Rangers are working to deal with that aspect. He has woken up briefly to speak, but he has not shown true signs of awareness." He bowed to the doctor, "I leave him in your care." He pulled out his wand and cast the spell seal that would take him back to Rootcore.

"Is it done?" Udonna asked quietly as soon as the magic released him.

"It's done," Xander replied and powered down, "may Chip forgive me."

"I'm sure he wills," Madison said, "he's not unreasonable." She hadn't moved from her spot at the table, but Nick had joined her with even more books. Xander quietly wondered if either of them actually realized just how strong the bond between them was. He made a quiet promise to drag Vida and Chip into helping him make them realize it.

"Found something," Vida announced as she raced down the stairs from the library. She slapped a book on the table as everyone gathered around her. "One way to save a victim of the NyghtMare is for people who are emotionally close to the victim to enter into the spell with the victim and convince him that the choice being forced on him doesn't have to be made."

"Another is to destroy the NyghtMare," Madison added, "but we don't know how to find the NyghtMare."

"But this has the spell with it," Vida replied, tapping her book. "We can go down there, magic our way in and cast the spell. Chip will be himself before midnight."

"How do we explain that?" Nick asked, "We need valid people to go in. What about Chip's family?"

"But," Vida began.

"V," Madison said, "we have to do this right, or else, we'll compromise everything."

Vida stared at each of her teammates for a long moment, clearly fighting with her instincts, and then sighed, "All right," she said. "I think Nick should go out to Winterlight to explain this. That way, if they can't break him out, Maddie, Xander and I can be available to try."

"Always have a backup plan," Xander said, hiding his own relief. Vida could get violent very easily, especially when it came to Chip or Madison. Xander slung his arm over Vida's shoulder and leaned against her a little, "Don't worry, V, I know Chip will be fine."

Vida smiled at him looking just a little lost, "I know," she said. She leaned against him just a little even as her expression smoothed out, hiding her vulnerability from the others.

"Let's get this plan worked out," Nick said, "because I want to make sure I don't make too many mistakes."

"You don't know the Winters," Madison said, "that's your greatest cover."

**xxXXxx**

Chip clutched his head, not wanting to watch another scenario where he was ordered to choose. He couldn't choose. How could he be expected to choose a best friend? Why did they demand he choose between Vida and Xander? What about Maddie, she was his best friend too.

"You know it's not about friendship," someone said behind him.

Chip turned to find Madison standing there, "What do you mean?" He asked.

"Chip," Madison replied, "you already know what I'm talking about."

"Then you know I won't chose," Chip replied.

"You have to," Madison said.

Chip frowned, staring at Madison, "You aren't Madison," he announced, reaching for his morpher.

"Of course I am," Madison said.

Chip pulled his morpher from his pocket, "You don't know Madison; she would never try to force me to do something like this." He snapped the morpher open, took quick aim and unleashed a lightning bolt.

Madison shielded herself from the lightning, but when the light show cleared, it wasn't Madison standing there. The creature had a waterfall of black hair, pale white skin, and eyes that were pure black, with no whites or irises. She raised hands that ended in claws as she hissed, "You will have to choose, Yellow Mystic," the creature declared, "or you will never escape."

"That's what you think," Chip replied and lashed her with lightning again.


	45. Honor 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers

A/N: The idea of Andy (Andrea) knowing who the Rangers were is based on the common belief that people knew who the Rangers were. Chip told Luke, and Nicole figured it out on her own based on her own past with the Rangers.

Also, I promise, we've only got another chapter or two to wrap this up before I can get back to my original outline.

* * *

Andrea Winter eyed the Red Ranger standing in her living room, "So, I just got a call about my nephew," she said, "saying he's in the hospital because of a monster attack and you're saying that he's under a spell and I'm the one who can break it?"

The Ranger shifted his feet nervously, "Yes ma'am," he said, sounding painfully young. "The creature that attacked Mr. Thorn was called a NyghtMare and is the last of their kind. We don't know where to locate the NyghtMare to destroy it, but we have a spell that can help break the NyghtMare spell."

"How," Andy asked, crossing her arms.

"The NyghtMare of Despair forces her victims to choose between dreams and desires," the Ranger said. "Each choice takes a piece of the person's soul to feed the NyghtMare, until the person dies. The spell we propose to use will allow you to enter his mind and help him escape the choice. We do not know what choice Mr. Thorn is being forced to make, but it is our hope that you will be able to help him."

"I'm the only person who can help Chip," Andy said.

"The spell works best on the people closest to Mr. Thorn," the Ranger replied, "I do not know you, to know if that person is you, but if you are the person Mr. Thorn is closest to, then yes, you are one who can help him."

He tilted his head and Andy thought she could hear someone talking to the Red Ranger. After a moment the Red Ranger sighed, "I'm still trying to explain everything to her," he said quietly. "It's not like I can grab her and magic her to the hospital."

Andy crossed her arms, wondering whom the Ranger was speaking with; he sounded even younger than he had before.

"Whatever, Pinky," the Ranger said, cutting through the speaker's voice, "we'll be there as soon as we can."

Andy rubbed her mouth to hide her smile, "Is everything ok?" She asked.

"My teammates are getting a little impatient, ma'am," he replied.

"Say I agree to do this," Andy said, "how would it work?"

"My teammates will escort our instructor to the hospital to cast the spell, while I bring you and whoever else you feel will be an asset. The spell will be cast, allowing you to enter Mr. Thorn's mind where you will convince him that whatever choice he is being asked to make is unnecessary and that he is trapped by a NyghtMare. Then, it is possible the NyghtMare will show up herself, when that happens, you will have to pull yourself out of the dream and we will go in to assist Mr. Thorn in driving her out. Once we have defeated the NyghtMare in Mr. Thorn's mind, the NyghtMare will attempt a physical attack. My team will be standing by for that and we'll deal with her." The Red Ranger said.

"What will I see in Chip's mind?" Andy asked.

"I do not know," the Red Ranger said, "we don't know what choice he's being asked. All I can really say is that you'll learn something he has been hiding from you and will be unhappy that you've found out. My Green Ranger said that it was like finding out he had anorexia or bulimia, it's not something you want to know, or something he wants you to know, but you knowing has a strong chance of saving his life."

"Ok," Andy said, "I agree to this, how many people do you want for this?"

The Ranger hesitated for a moment, "No more than four people," he said. "I don't know what the hospital rules are for visitors, but we don't want them to regret allowing us to do this on their property."

"Do you have their permission?" Andy asked.

"According to my Pink Ranger, Ma- I mean, my Blue Ranger says that if your family gives us permission then we can do it. The hospital administrator was quite eager to help." The Red Ranger replied.

Andy smiled, "That's the first time you've almost slipped, I'm impressed."

"What?" The Red Ranger sounded panicked.

"Don't worry," Andy said, "I know that Chip's the Yellow Mystic Ranger. Not that he knows I know, I respect that he was asked to keep it a secret. By dent of observation, I also know who the rest of the team is. Except you," she tilted her head, "I think I know who you are, but we've never actually met and now isn't the time. The kids will be back in twenty minutes and I would strongly guess that you want to be gone before they have an opportunity to swarm you."

"Nick," the Red Ranger said with his shoulders dropping, "my name is Nick Russell." He rubbed the back of his helmet, "Madison said the fact that I _didn't_ know you would be my strongest defense."

Andy smiled, "She wouldn't be the first to make an assumption like that." She nodded her head, "I'm going to grab my purse and call Luke and Nicole. The three of us are closest to Chip in the family. I'm surprised you didn't just have Vida, Xander and Madison do this."

"We didn't have an answer when we decided to admit Chip to the hospital," Nick replied, following her, "none of us really know how to handle an unconscious person for long periods and the hospitals are equipped for it, so that's why we did it. It was my idea, but Xander carried it out. Given how we have to free Chip, there was a risk our identities would be revealed. That's why we asked you to do this."

Andy nodded, "Let me call them," she said, picking up the phone and dialing.

"Luke's phone," Luke said.

"Luke, its Andy," Andy replied, "I have some news, are you alone?"

"I am," Luke replied.

"Are you sitting down?" Andy asked.

"I am now," Luke said after a moment.

"Chip's in the hospital," Andy said, "he was attacked by a monster and the Rangers brought him in. He's physically fine, but he's under a spell that is keeping him unconscious. The Red Ranger is here, he says they can break the spell, but they need help from us, being the people closest to him. I need you to knock off work early and go up to the hospital. We'll explain the rest when we get there."

"Where are the kids?" Luke asked.

"They aren't back yet," Andy replied. "I'm going to pick up Nicole and bring her with us to."

"I'll meet you there, then," Luke said and hung up.

Andy sighed as she turned off the phone, she liked that Luke could be so calm. "Luke will meet us there," she told Nick as she dialed Nicole's number.

"Hello?" Nicole said.

"Hey sweetie," Andy said, "it's Mom."

"Hi Mom, what's up?" Nicole asked.

"Are you sitting down?" Andy asked.

"Yes," Nicole said.

"Chip is in the hospital because of a monster attack. He's fine physically but he's unconscious because of a spell. The Rangers can break it, but they need help. I'm going to come get you to come to the hospital with me." Andy said, "The Red Ranger says they need the people who are closest to Chip to help."

"I'll be waiting outside," Nicole replied and hung up.

"Nicole's waiting," Andy said, hanging up her phone.

"I don't know about Luke," Nick said, "but Nicole knows who we are. She figured it out on her own."

"Luke knows," Andy said, "Chip told him." She gave Nick a look, "He told Luke because Chip is an honest young man and he hated lying to us. We won't betray your trust, Nick, I promise." She picked up her purse and pulled out her keys, "Do you need a ride?"

"No ma'am," Nick said, "I'll meet you at the hospital."

"All right then," Andy said, "I'll see you there."

Nick pulled his wand and waved it for a moment before disappearing.


	46. Honor 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.

A/N: Finally! NyghtMare arc is DONE! Sorry about the almost month-long delay. Camp NaNoWriMo just sucked me in and I'm fighting my way back out. Of course, I'm planning to attend the August session. In the meantime, UPDATE!

* * *

They gathered in the private room the hospital and reserved for them and Nick pointedly locked the door, "According to Nick," Udonna said in her calm manner, "you know who the Rangers are."

"We do," Andy replied, unable to keep her eyes from straying to where Charlie lay on the bed. The Rangers sighed and powered down, going from aloof and mysterious sorcerers to four teens, worried for their friend.

"I am Udonna," Udonna said, "once, I was the White Mystic Ranger, and I am a sorceress."

"Before we do this," Andy said, "I have to know. Why did you choose Chip?"

Udonna's smile was kind, "Because Chip embodies the best traits of a yellow Mystic and his power was awakening. I do not know that I can fully explain it, but each of the Rangers had great power even before they became Rangers. I found them because the power was awakening with them. Had I not chosen them, it is entirely likely that, with the Gate to the Underworld broken, the Master's followers would have found and captured them for the Master's army." She drew back her cloak to free her arms, "Now, we have little time. Chip needs all of us."

Andy sat down in one of the hospital chairs, while Luke settled across the bed from her and Nicole sat down beside her. As one, the four Mystic Rangers lifted their staffs and the spell was cast.

xxXXxx

Chip curled up, clenching his hands to his ears, trying not to hear. He was bound in thick black ropes, and the creature was circling him, "Chose," she hissed, "you must chose."

"No," Chip whimpered, "I won't. I won't."

"You must, or you will never escape." The creature urged him.

Chip shuddered as her fingers trailed over his shoulder. "I won't," he told her.

Suddenly, Aunt Andy, Uncle Luke and Nicole appeared, "Chip!" Andy gasped.

"Get your hands off him," Nicole shouted and launched a round house kick at the creature.

"I think not," the creature hissed and clapped her hands. Nicole was thrown back into Andy and Luke with a cry of pain. "Be gone, from whence you came."

"Chip," Luke shouted as a wind began to blow, "Don't give up! Don't choose anything. The Rangers are coming."

Chip nodded as the trio vanished in a flash of light. "You aren't getting out of here that easy," the creature said.

Chip shuddered as she touched his shoulder again.

xxXXxx

The three Winters came back to themselves suddenly, "What," Andy gasped.

"What happened?" Vida demanded.

"That bi- witch," Nicole said, "already had him." She jerked to her feet, "he's in there and she, at least, I'd bet that was your NyghtMare, she had him tied up. He looked like he's hurt." Nicole yanked Chip's shirt up to show them a gash on his side that was just beginning to ooze blood.

"We'd better get in there," Nick said flipping out his wand.

"Be careful," Udonna urged them.

"We will," Madison replied.

"Magical Force," the quartet shouted, "Mystic Force."

Udonna held up her hand as light too bright to look at shrouded them and said something Andy couldn't hear. When the light faded and they could see again, the Rangers were gone.

xxXXxx

Vida barely let the spell's power fade before she launched a tornado force wind. Her target was a creature with long nails, pointed teeth and jet black hair that stood over Chip, who looked small and tired in the black rope that bound him. "Are you ok?" Xander asked as the NyghtMare was thrown back.

"Are you real?" Chip countered.

"It's us," Xander said as he knelt beside Chip.

"Do I have to choose?" Chip asked as Xander began to fiddle with the ropes.

"Nope," Xander replied.

Vida frowned at the unfocused look in Chip's eyes, but turned her attention to the NyghtMare when that creature began to move. It had barely begun to move when a fire whip sent it flying again. Vida couldn't see Nick's face, but he radiated a sense of menace that she'd never felt before. "Good," Chip was saying beside her, "because you and Vida are my best friends. Why do I have to choose one?"

"You don't," Xander said lightly, "trust me, mate. You can have as many best friends as you want."

"Good," Chip said again. "I didn't understand though. Maddie's my best friend too but she never said I had to pick Maddie or even Nick." Vida frowned, the more Chip talked, the more childlike he seemed. "Nick's not my best friend, but he's a good one."

"I don't know, mate," Xander said as he finally began to unwind the ropes.

Madison blasted the NyghtMare with water, startling Vida. "Madison said that it wasn't about best friends," Chip added and yawned. "I didn't understand that. Then Madison wasn't Madison again." Vida glanced down as Chip looked at Madison, "Are you sure she's really Maddie?"

"I'm sure," Xander replied and pointed, "The NyghtMare is over there."

Chip twisted to look and nodded, "I'm tired Xander."

"Well, we're going to get you out of here," Xander said, "but you have to stand up." He helped Chip get to his feet. "Can you morph?"

Chip shook his head, "Can't," he said around a yawn.

"What do we do?" Madison asked.

"Chip," Nick said, "we need you to help. We have to blast the NyghtMare with all of our magic. It's going to get her out of your head, ok?"

Chip blinked, then nodded. His morpher appeared in his hand, "Ok."

Together, the Rangers turned on the NyghtMare, who had finally regained her feet, "You can't defeat me here," she hissed.

"Maybe not," Xander said and lifted his staff, "but we can get you out of Chip's head."

"Fire," Nick ordered.

There was no spell for what they did, it was simply an explosion of power not unlike what had happened the day they'd become Rangers. In moments, they had driven the NyghtMare from Chip's mind. "Now what?" Chip asked.

The grey area around them lightened and shifted, and then they were back in the hospital room. Vida turned to Chip, who was sitting up with a grin. "We did it!" Madison said and threw her arms around Vida.

"How do you feel, mate?" Xander asked as Andy hugged Chip.

"Good," Chip said, "much better than I did in there."

"How are we going to get him out of here?" Luke asked, and pointed at the T.V.

A giant NyghtMare was attacking the city.

"Me," Nicole said, making everyone look at her.

"I'm sorry?" Udonna asked.

"I'll take Chip's place in bed, you guys spell me to look like him and I'll pretend to still be asleep," Nicole smirked, "that way, 'Chip Thorne' is still in the hospital while the Yellow Mystic is beating up the NyghtMare."

"I'm game," Chip said, extracting himself from his Aunt's grip and sliding to the edge of the bed.

Xander moved to help Chip stand and Vida lifted her staff, "Get in bed," she said shortly, "we don't have much time."

Nicole slipped her shoes off and settled herself in the bed. Moments later, her form blurred into Chip's and she lay down. "Be safe," she told them with a cheeky grin.

"We will," Chip replied and kissed her cheek. Then he pulled out his wand, "Magical Source, Mystic Force," he intoned. Morph complete, he saluted Andy and Luke, "We can talk when I get back."

"You better believe it," Andy replied sternely.


	47. Honor 16

Disclaimer: I still don't own Power Rangers

A/N: I hope you guys enjoy this, it took me a while to get it written right. Cross references to Petrified Xander.

* * *

Bryan Kane came to Winterlight late on a Monday morning. Chip was waiting for Vida to arrive to give him a lift to town for work when the far too familiar cream sedan pulled into the drive way. "Aunt Andy," Chip called, "Social worker's here."

"That will be Bryan," Andy said as she came out of the kitchen. "Chip, I appreciate your agreement with letting Bryan share your room."

Chip shrugged, "He's practically my age, and it makes more sense than chucking him in with Luke." He opened the door and stepped out on the front porch before turning to his aunt, "Of course, if I think we'll actually end up killing each other, I won't have a problem exiling him."

Andy gave him a dry look before stepping off the porch with a welcoming smile, "Hi Jessica," she said.

"Andy, how have you been?" Jessica Freeny, the social worker, said as she stepped out of her car.

"I'm good," Andy replied, "Luke's settling in well and Cassie's actually talking more now."

"And the others?" Jessica asked and made her way around the car to clasp Andy's hands for a brief moment.

"Kevin and Tyler are still adjusting to being together again, Mandy's being nothing but trouble and Nicole is getting ready for her senior year," Andy said, "they're all inside."

"Hi Mrs. Freeny," Chip added as he leaned on the porch railing.

"Hi Chip," Jessica said with a wave, "how are you doing?"

"Getting better every day," Chip replied, "enjoying my year off before nursing school."

Jessica nodded, "If you're as good with patents as you are with children, you're going to be a top nurse no matter where you end up."

"Speaking of," Andy said and nodded at the car, "is this Bryan?"

"Yes," Jessica replied and turned to open her car door, "Come on, Bryan." The young man who slid out of the car was tall, with raven black hair and fair skin. For a moment, Chip wondered if he was a vampire before reminding himself that vampires didn't go out in sunlight. He wore a pair of dark green cargos and a black t-shirt that clung to him almost like a second skin under the strap from his backpack. "Bryan, this is Andrea Winters, your foster mother and her nephew Chip."

"Call me Andy," Andy said and offered her hand, "Welcome to Winterlight Farm."

As Bryan's hand was clasped in Andy's, shatter rock blasted the air and Chip laughed, "Welcome to Winterlight," he said and jumped off the porch, "I'm sorry, I'd stick around to see you settled, but that's my ride. I have to get to work." He kissed Andy's cheek, clapped Bryan on the shoulder and jogged up the road to where Vida was waiting for him.

"What's going on?" Madison asked as Chip scrambled into the back of Vida's truck.

"New foster cousin," Chip replied, "Bryan Kane. Interesting fact, he's seventeen."

"I thought Andy and Bryan only took in little kids," Madison replied, turning so that she could see him.

Chip fastened his seat belt, "It's a special case, since Cassie's going to live with her dad next week, we got asked to take Bryan in. He'll be eighteen before the end of the year, so we're only obligated to keep him through the semester but Aunt Andy and Uncle Bryan intends to let him stay until he graduates high school if he wants."

"That's wonderful about Cassie," Madison said, "Do you think Bryan will last?"

"Well," Chip said, "I don't know, I didn't get a chance to actually talk to him."

Taking the hint, Madison fell silent, and Chip found his mind straying back to the newest cousin, and the startling grey eyes that became apparent when Chip had gotten close to the dark haired teen. There had been something about Bryan, a certain twist to his lips and a look in his eye, as if the boy knew just how striking his features where.

They were just pulling into the Rock Porium's back lot when Chip came out of his thoughts, "Did you guys get anywhere with the map?" He asked hopefully.

"Nope," Vida said, she held up the plastic wrapped paper, "It's like gibberish without the other half."

Chip plucked it out her hand before swinging out of the truck, "I'll take a look at it," he said as he bounced into the store, anything to get his mind off his new, oh so pretty, roommate for a while. As he stepped into the store, he couldn't help his smile, because it certainly felt like a normal day.

…

_Normal?_ Chip thought with a groan as he walked up the driveway. He should have known better than to even think the world normal. Between the Fireheart and Xander's sudden plunge into plant life, the monster they'd fought had been the _easy_ part of the day. He climbed the steps slowly, reminding himself that he needed to give Toby something as a thank you for solving the Fireheart puzzle. He rested his hand on the door knob for a moment as he fought his grin. He was going to help hatch a _dragon egg._

The door opened under his palm and Chip jerked back, it swung open to reveal Bryan standing there, "Oh," the teen said, "I'm sorry."

"It's ok," Chip said, "it's not like you hit me with the door or anything."

"Chip, right," Bryan said.

"Yeah," Chip replied cautiously.

"Ms. Andy said that we're going to be roommates," Bryan said.

"That would require me coming inside," Chip said, "if you don't mind."

"Sorry," Bryan said and stepped back. "I was just wondering about the room."

Chip shrugged, "It's a little small," he said and stepped inside, "but I offered to share because we're closer in age than you and Lucas are." He headed across the hall to the living room, "I'm home," he told the group, "Xander tried to turn into a tree and we're hatching a dragon egg."

"Don't feed any cows to it," Uncle Bryan replied.

"Is Xander all right?" Andy asked.

"Better than Vida was after the DJ Fly incident," Chip replied, "but it's too soon to tell if he learned anything from it."

"Ok," Andy replied, "If he wants, I can give him fertilizer tips."

"I'll let him know," Chip replied. "I'm going to shower before I eat." Stepping back, he realized that Bryan was staring at him, so Chip grinned and said, "Power Rangers are way more exciting than Dungeons and Dragons." Then he headed upstairs to shower.


	48. Honor 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers

A/N: I'm trying to drag Honor back to it's original format. Episode tags for Scardy Cat and Long Ago. How do you think Chip really felt about meeting Daggeron, a true knight?

* * *

Chip found his Uncle Bryan working on the tractor in the back shed, "Hey," he said as he carefully stepped into the shed.

Bryan looked up and smiled, "Hey Chip, how are you?"

"Ok, I guess," Chip replied, he shoved his hands in his pockets, "Can I help?"

"Sure," Bryan replied, "what's on your mind, son?"

Chip grinned and scrambled up the large front wheel of the tractor so that he could watch his uncle work on the engine and hand over tools. "I'm not sure," he said finally. "Things got really weird at Rootcore this week." At Bryan's sharp look, he held up his hands, "Not to me, Uncle Bryan, just, weird to the team."

"What happened?" Bryan asked, "Wrench please."

Chip handed over the wrench, "We heard about these Hidiacs down on the beach and went to check it out."

"Rag," Bryan said, holding out his hand, "sounds like a trap to me."

"It wasn't really," Chip said, "at least, not in a 'destroy the Power Rangers' kind of way at first." He toyed with the tools, "Necrolai, the Vampire Queen, tricked us into going into the cave to break a seal against dark magic. We found a frog and a lamp, and Necrolai made off with this desiccated mummy."

"I don't know who got the better bargain there," Bryan quipped as he began to put spark plugs on the tractor frame.

"I think we did," Chip replied. "The lamp turned out to have a genie in it named Jenji, he's rather cat like."

"You found a genie," Bryan said, "did he grant you any wishes?"

"No," Chip said, "but that's a long story in and of itself. The mummy is a different story all together."

"Really," Bryan replied grinning at his nephew, "I'd rather hear about the genie."

"Who wouldn't?" Chip quipped. "Seriously though, the mummy turned out to be this guy, Imperious, who is the new leader of the Underworld or something. He's the metal turban wearing stop light from the news."

"That's Imperious," Bryan nodded once, "I'll remember that."

"After that," Chip said, "an 'old friend' of Udonna's showed up. His name was Calendor and he claimed that he'd been cursed and stuck in that cave. He claimed that another of their friends, Daggeron, had betrayed and cursed him. Claire and Phineas realized that Calendor was evil and Claire stopped him from killing Udonna."

"Lucky Claire was there," Bryan said.

"That happened while we Mystics were fighting that monster in the plaza, we heard the details later," Chip said. He handed Bryan the package of spark plugs, "Remember that frog I told you about?"

"Yeah," Bryan said.

"Well, he wasn't a prince, exactly," Chip said, "but then Maddie isn't a princess."

"Are you saying that Madison kissed a frog?" Bryan asked, "Isn't she afraid of them?"

"Maybe," Chip said, "Maddie said it was easier to think of it as kissing a cursed man." He grinned, "I'm trying to think of a good joke though."

"I'll share anything I think up," Bryan said. "Who was the frog anyways?"

"Well, Calendor turned out to be Imperious," Chip said, "and the guy he claimed cursed him, Daggeron? He was the frog. He's now the Solaris Knight." Chip sighed.

"Oh," Bryan said as he worked on the tractor some more, "You've now met a knight then."

"Yes," Chip said.

"What's the problem?" Bryan asked.

"I don't know how to act around him," Chip admitted, "I mean, he's a knight; he's been through the training and everything."

"What's wrong with the way you normally act?" Bryan asked casually.

"I," Chip faltered, "I want him to like me. I don't know, I just, he's a knight."

"Chip," Bryan said, "do you know, when you first came to the farm, I was terrified."

"You were?" Chip said, startled.

"I was," Bryan replied and came around the tractor, "I barely knew you before everything happened, you know Charles and I don't get along." Chip nodded, "I had no idea what to expect when Andy asked me if you could live with us. We'd just found out that Andy couldn't have children, and here we were, about to take in a nephew I didn't know, who had just lost his mother and survived cancer. I wasn't sure how to act around you, but Andy told me that all I had to do was act naturally."

"Uncle Bryan," Chip said.

"Hush Chip," Bryan said, "I had this image in my head, based on what I remembered of you. I expected a child, but that wasn't whom I met. I met a young man, one who was afraid and uncertain, but who was accepting it all with a calm I wasn't expecting. When Andy and I discussed adopting Mandy and how her arrival would change the farm, the one thing I knew was that you would be a great role model for her because of how you handled what life threw at you. It's not often a man my age would say this to someone your age, but Chip, you are a hero, because you've survived impossible odds and you haven't let it stop you. In fact, you enjoy life so much that you continue to be a lesson for all of us at Winterlight. I don't know what you would have become without what you've been through, but Chip, it is an honor to know you. If Daggeron can't see that, then that's his loss."

Chip stared at his uncle, awed that a man who had played such a large role in his life saw him that way. Bryan Winter had played the role of Chip's father since Chip had come to Winterlight, being the person who taught Chip about the value of hard work and honesty. Chip knew his real father considered Bryan to be a step of poverty and that Andy had married far below her, but Bryan was a simple, hardworking man who was worth knowing. "Now," Bryan said, jolting Chip out of his thoughts, "I have to get these spark plugs changed before dinner, with your help or not. If you're going to stay, you have to help."

"I'll help," Chip said.


	49. Honor 18

Disclaimer; I don't own Power Rangers

A/N: This takes place in and around the events of Soul Spector with some dialogue and scenes taken from the episode. Based on two thoughts, one Chip handled the obvious pain he was in really well and what if he had a more personal reason for hating the monsters that clouded his judgement about the bottle. Just two reminders. I have two Brians in this story. Brian, Chip's uncle/Andy's husband and Brian, the seventeen year old foster kid. Both appear in this chapter, although I've tried to keep them distinct. Also, Chip swears. It's at the end of the chapter, but I think the circumstances warrent it.

* * *

It wasn't often that Chip enjoyed a day with the Winters anymore, between his work at the Rock Porium and his Ranger duties; he barely had time to keep his chores done. Still, when Andy had suggested a picnic on his day off, Chip jumped at the opportunity. The weather was just edging into fall, and it was perfect for the game of Frisbee he started up with the guys while Uncle Bryan taught Cassie how to throw a baseball. Cassie's new friend Will played baseball and Cassie wanted to play it like he did. Chip was just starting to relax when it all fell apart.

Hidiacs and monsters invaded the park without warning, sending the picnickers into a panic. Chip sent the alert over the morphers as he helped Andy get the family moving. Just as Daggeron and the others arrived, Andy said, "Bryan and Cassie are missing."

"I'll get them," Chip said, and raced back into the fight, morphing as soon as he had gotten out of sight.

"Get these people to safety," Daggeron ordered them.

Chip fought his way through the Hidiacs, looking for his uncle and cousin. He'd just reached a clear spot where he could look around when the monster's voice caught his attention, "Aw, how sweet."

Bryan and Cassie were surrounded by Hidiacs and facing one of the two monsters, "Stop," Chip shouted, hoping to distract the monster before it could do anything. The Hidiacs blasted him and charged, distracting him from Bryan and Cassie for the crucial moments the monster needed to work it's dark magic. Rage flared within Chip, blinding him from anything but the monster that had hurt his family. He charged in, forgetting everything he'd learned about fighting, desperate to get revenge.

"And you call yourselves protectors of the city," the monster sneered, "what a joke."

Chip stared at his uncle, unbelieving. He'd failed; he'd actually failed to protect his family. He'd never imagined something like that would ever happen to him. "Chip!"

Chip spun onto his knee, "Andy," he said, "no."

It was too late, Andy spotted Bryan and Cassie lying on the grass, "Bryan," she said, coming to a stop.

"Aunt Andy," Chip said, standing up and letting his morph fade, "I'm sorry."

"What happened?" Andy asked.

"The monster," Chip said, "I was- I failed."

Andy shook her head, "You didn't fail Chip. No matter what happened, you didn't fail."

Chip might have believed her if he didn't see the truth in her eyes.

…

Chip knew he was asking for the impossible, but every time he tried to stop, to relax, to wait, or even to research, he couldn't forget the accusation in his aunt's eyes. His fault. Bryan and Cassie were trapped in that half life because he hadn't been fast enough, hadn't been good enough. He had to save them. Xander, Maddie and Vida tried to keep him calm, but he couldn't stop. He'd screwed up and people he loved were paying the price.

When the life-force thief and her partner showed back up, Chip tried to stay calm, to stay focused. He knew what every book had to say about keeping calm in battle, but hearing the creature laugh and taunt cut into him like a knife, until finally he snapped.

He was still coming out of the battle rage when he spotted the bottle, it was his only excuse for doing what he did. He opened it.

As the pain of the soul specter ripped through him, Chip took the pain and brought it into him. It was his punishment, his atonement, for letting Cassie and Uncle Bryan get caught. Stumbling to Rootcore, unable to see clearly, much less walk in a straight line, Chip wondered if he would die. Then he wondered if he cared enough to live.

"Don't you dare give up," Vida said suddenly, "don't you _dare_ Charlie Thorne."

Chip blinked up at Vida, stunned by her sudden vehemence. "What?" He managed.

"You've survived cancer," Vida said in his ear, "and you didn't give up. Your dad dumped you and you didn't give up. You are not going to give up now either."

Chip groaned softly, "It hurts," he whimpered, and blushed for sounding like a child.

"I know," Vida said.

"Give me a moment," he said and stopped walking. Vida stopped to and everyone else gathered close. Chip took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Mentally, he probed the pain, identifying it's source and accepting it. Finally, he opened his eyes, managing his pain firmly, instead of letting it manage him. He'd learned to do it as a defense against the bad days of cancer treatment, and it steadied him enough that he shifted his weight off Vida. "Ok," he said, "ok." He took a step forward and then another, "let's do this."

"Are you sure you're ok?" Nick asked.

Chip tilted his head, "For right now, yes."

They started again, with Vida taking most of his weight when an unwise movement sent pain ripping through him again. Thankfully, they'd reached Rootcore at that point and Udonna confirmed Necrolai's statement. _Great,_ Chip thought as everyone looked at each other, _this is my fault._

"I'll take Chip to the staff." Daggeron said, drawing Chip out of his darkening thoughts. Chip glanced covertly at the knight, and then averted his eyes. Of all people he would have failed in front of, it would be the one man he wanted to impress.

"One good thing," Vida said in his ear, "you won't have to walk far, not if Daggeron's taking you."

Chip tilted his head and summoned up a grin to reassure his friend even as his arm tightened over his stomach as the pain increased a little.

The ride to Mount Isis was silent; Chip lay down on one of the cushioned seats and tried to recall every trick he'd learned to hide his pain. He'd learned them to keep his father from _lecturing_ him about manning up, and he'd improved them to keep his aunt from worrying. When they arrived at the mountain, Chip had adjusted his mentality enough to sound almost normal as he asked, "Do you think I can make it?"

"Come on," Daggeron said, "we'll take it step by step."

Step by step indeed, Chip thought as they climbed. He pushed himself to stay right behind Daggeron, and to say nothing when Daggeron seemed to forget and speed up or chose pathways that were more challenging. The few times Daggeron offered aid, Chip took it, he knew, that pride wasn't about declining help you needed, but in accepting that help without looking for a crutch.

Finally, though, the pain of the soul specter overwhelmed him and he stopped. "I'm sorry," he told Daggeron, "I don't think I can make it."

"When I was training to be a knight," Daggeron replied, "I can't tell you how many times I wanted to quit, but my teacher wouldn't let me." He looked at Chip for a moment, "Now, I wouldn't be a very good teacher if I let my student give up before he even started training now would I?"

Chip froze, pain in his stomach forgot, "You want to train me to be a knight?" He asked, feeling light headed, "A real knight?"

"Not if we don't make it up this mountain," Daggeron said. He gestured, "Now let's go."

The climb wasn't any easier, the pain wasn't any less, but Chip could feel a tiny kernel of pride forming in his gut. Daggeron wanted to train him to be a knight. He honestly felt he could do anything at that moment.

…

When Chip finally came home that evening, after getting checked over by Udonna and even learning a few diagnostic spells of his own, Aunt Andy was waiting up for him. "Are you ok?" She asked him.

Chip smiled, "I'm fine, Aunt Andy. You wouldn't believe what happened to me today."

"Oh?" She asked.

"Daggeron's offered to train me to be a knight!" Chip said, unable to keep himself from bouncing on his toes at the remembered thrill.

"That's wonderful," Andy said. "Chip, I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"What for?" Chip asked, "You haven't done anything wrong."

"I know I said that you weren't to blame, but I did blame you." Andy said, "I was wrong to do it."

Chip lay his hand on Andy's mouth, "Aunt Andy, stop." He smiled at her, "I don't blame you for anything. If you must have my forgiveness, then I give it to you freely." He kissed her cheek gently as he removed his hand, "Now, I'm exhausted. I'll see you in the morning."

"Ok," Andy said shakily.

Chip headed upstairs, and found Brian waiting in his room. He blinked at the youth, "Shouldn't you be in bed?" He asked as he shut the door behind him.

"I couldn't sleep," Brian replied.

"What's wrong?" Chip asked.

"I saw you today," Brian said, "when you were attacked by that smoke from the black bottle."

Chip went very still, suddenly wishing that yes, he did swear. "What about it?" He asked.

"You looked like you were in pain," Brian replied, "are you ok?"

Chip grinned, "I'm fine, Brian. It wasn't anything big." He headed for the closet, pulling off his shirt as he did so. He had long ago forgot about body modesty, and also didn't think about what his stomach still looked like as he changed into his sleep pants. He stepped out of the closet with his dirty clothes in hand, not thinking of much of anything beside what tomorrow would be like.

"That's a big bruise for it to be nothing," Brian observed.

_Well, shit,_ Chip thought. When he turned to look at his foster cousin, the other teen was laying on the top bunk, and had rolled away from him to face the wall.


	50. Honor 19

Disclaimer: I still don't own Power Rangers

A/N: This is a lead in towards Dark Wish. It also makes this longer than I expected. Go figure.

* * *

"Chip," Vida said, "what is with you today, you've been spaced out all afternoon."

Chip shook his head a little, "I'm fine, Vida."

"No," Madison said, "V's right. You have been acting off today."

"I'm _fine,"_ Chip said, "ok, just fine."

Vida had that mulish look that wouldn't be easy to dodge and Madison had shut off her camera, but before either of them could speak, a distraction came. "Excuse me?" A teen said, "I was looking for a comic book." Chip, grateful for the interruption, all but leaped to help him.

xxXXxx

"Chip you have been unfocused all day," Daggeron said as he lowered his sword from the guard position, "is there something wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," Chip said as he relaxed slightly and tried to catch his breath. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm just having an off day."

"You need to focus on the fight," Daggeron said, "losing focus in battle can cost you everything."

"Yes sir," Chip said, "I'm sorry."

xxXXxx

"Chip, are you feeling ok?" Nick asked.

Chip looked up from the book he was reading in Rootcore, "I'm fine, Nick. Why do you ask?"

"You just told Xander you didn't want to see Harry Potter," Nick said, "you've been jumping for the chance to see that."

"I can't go see Harry Potter," Chip corrected him, "it's not that I don't want to go."

"What's going on?" Nick asked.

"Nothing," Chip replied, "it's just family stuff."

"If you say so," Nick replied doubtfully.

xxXXxx

Chip eased his way into the house at Winterlight, closing the door as softly as he could. No one appeared to greet him and he breathed a sigh of relief. If he could make it up the stairs, he'd be fine.

As quietly as he could, Chip moved up the stairs, hearing and wincing as laughter echoed out of the kitchen. He made the upper hall and hurried for his bedroom. "Oh Charlie, you're home!"

Chip shivered slightly at the honey sweet tone and he turned, slowly, to look at his step sister Heather. "Hello Heather," he said quietly, reminding himself that he was two years older than the petite blond, "did you need something?"

"No," Heather said in a sweet tone, "I just thought you had to _work_ today?"

Chip smiled, "Actually, I've already finished my shift and since it's payday, I'm going out with some friends of mine." He opened the door to his room and shot Heather a slow side glance, "I'm sure that you can join the family movie night if you wanted."

Heather blinked, then recovered, "Is there anything to do in this town?"

"Not if you're under eighteen," Chip said in a slightly sing-song tone. "If you'll excuse me, my ride is waiting." He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him, throwing the bolt with a sigh of relief.

"Are you sure you're related to her?"

Chip spun, "Bryan!" He said, "You scared me.

"Yeah, sorry about that. That Heather girl, are you sure you're related."

"Nope," Chip said, "she's a step-sister, praise be to all." He shucked his shirt as he headed for the closet.

"You really have no concept of modesty," Bryan said suddenly.

"I'm sorry?" Chip asked as he dropped his shirt into the laundry basket.

"You seem to have no problem walking around half dressed," Bryan said, "I'm not saying I'm complaining, but I've noticed that."

Chip shrugged, "I wear less when I'm swimming," he said as he grabbed a shirt from his closet. "No point in freaking out about going without a shirt."

"If you say so," Bryan replied. "New bruises?"

Chip pulled his shirt on, "I wouldn't be surprised. Training's been getting rough ever since Daggeron started teaching me too."

"Why am I not surprised?" Bryan muttered, "Are you trying to break a bone or something?"

"Not really, but it's happened," Chip replied as he kicked off his tennis shoes in exchange for his boots.

"Chip," Bryan said.

Chip paused and turned to find Bryan standing rather close to him. "Yes?" He said after swallowing.

"I was wondering if you'd like to catch a movie this weekend," Bryan said. "Do something other than practice for a change, give those bruises a chance to heal?"

Chip frowned at him, because he never saw this coming, "I'm a Power Ranger, Bryan," he said very quietly. "I do what I have to. Now, you'll excuse me, Vida actually is waiting."

Bryan tilted his head a little, but stepped back, "Of course."

Chip headed for the door, but stopped halfway there, "And Bryan," he added turning to look at the teen, "I'm sorry, but I can't. Being foster parents is very important to Uncle Brian and Aunt Andy. If I were to allow anything to happen between us, it could ruin their status as good foster parents. As long as I live under their roof, nothing can happen and I won't move out just to allow something to happen." He paused for a moment, "However, I can feel you, being a teenager in a house of children is never easy especially when you don't have any privacy. The team and I are going to a street fair in Rockwall next week if you want to get out of here though."

He opened is door and stepped back out. Leaning against the door, he closed his eyes and sighed, because he really never say that sort of thing coming. "You ok?"

Chip opened his eyes and found Andy watching him, "I'm great," he said quietly, "I'm going out, Andy. Vida's waiting."

"I know," Andy said, "she came in to see what's taking so long."

"Where is she?" Chip asked.

"She's in the kitchen," Andy replied.

"You left her alone with _them?"_ Chip said, jerking up right. "Oh God, Aunt Andy," he bolted for the stairs. "I can't believe this," he muttered.

Ignoring the house rules, and his aunt's reprimand, Chip ran down the stairs, skidded around the corner to the hallway and raced into the kitchen. He skidded to a stop in the doorway just as Vida said, "So you're the idiot who got rid of the best damn thing that ever happened to you."

He closed his eyes in relief, because that meant Vida was just getting started. "Vida, let's go," he said and stepped forward to grab her arm. "We don't want to be late." He pulled lightly and Vida looked at him in amusement. "Come on," he said. Turning slightly he added, "Hi Dad, bye Dad, have a good trip."


	51. Honor 20

Disclaimer; I do not own Power Rangers.

A/N: This story has gone on FAR TOO LONG. I'm sorry. I'm going to try to wrap it up in five chapters. This is for Dark Wish 1-2-3, based on the idea that no one remembers the wish. Also features Kira as Soul!Healer and a thought for everyone on the subject of events within the story. Also, Chip doesn't know what the wish was that stole his power. He's guessing.

* * *

Chip let himself in through the back door, feeling the warmth of the kitchen and the laughter of his family wash over him. "Chip," Andy said, "we didn't think you'd be home yet."

Chip smiled tiredly, "Long day." He eyed her as she chopped vegetables and after a moment, she put the knife down and opened her arms. Chip allowed himself to be drawn in and he buried his head in her shoulder. "Why do I do this?" Chip whispered.

"Because you wouldn't be yourself if you didn't," Andy replied. "Want to talk about it?"

"You're making dinner," Chip replied.

"Doesn't mean I can't listen," Andy said firmly.

Chip hesitated and then squeezed her tightly before stepping back. He slid around his aunt to claim a seat on the kitchen counter between the upper cabinets and the fridge. Andy stared at him for a moment before turning back to her vegetables. "We got Jenji captured today," Chip said.

"The genii, right?" Andy asked.

"Right," Chip said. "We were stupid, we could have taken care of it, but we didn't and Jenji paid for it. Calendor forced him to create a world where we didn't have our abilities. There wasn't even music. We had to go before the Tribunal of Magic to get our power back. They said no and we went back, because we'd made the mistake and it was up to us to fix it. Because of that, we got our powers back and an upgrade."

"Did you learn something?" Andy asked as she slid the vegetables into a pan.

"We can't be lazy," Chip, said, "we can't depend on someone else to fight our battle or we'll end up losing things we hold most dear. We became Rangers for a reason and we can't forget that."

…

After dinner, Chip went out to the barn to work on his saddle. He'd been meaning to give it a good cleaning and he figured that the work, actually physical work, would help him settle. He could hear the kids run around the back yard, playing tag in the sunset. Soon, they would get out their glow sticks and the game would change to something else. Probably equally loud and equally energetic. A final hurrah before fall, and then winter, set in with a vengeance.

Taking the saddle out, Chip reflected that, for the first time, he didn't want to go play tag with his cousins. He actually stopped and thought about it. He'd never before felt reluctant to join in a game, invited or not.

Being a Ranger had changed him, Chip knew that. Under the jokes and the fantasy, he wasn't the same person. It had never been so obvious to him before and it shook him deep inside. Who was he, if he wasn't the crazy cousin?

Chip set the saddle down and reached for his cell phone. Staring at his list of contacts, his finger hovered over Vida and Xander as he struggled to decide who would be in a better position to talk to right now. The phone vibrated and the screen lit up. A yellow ranger helmet and the letters DTY gave him an identity. "Hello?" He asked.

"Chip, it's Kira Ford."

Chip sat down, "Hi Kira is something wrong?"

"Not really," Kira replied, "but Conner said you guys had a bad day and I should call you."

"He did?" Chip asked.

"Well, he text me with 'Mystic bad day, call Chip, help,' so I called. What happened?"

Chip closed his eyes, "We let Jenji get captured by Imperious and he made a wish that took away our powers. We had to fight to get them back."

"Wow," Kira said.

"Kira, it was our fault. If we hadn't convinced Daggeron, we wouldn't have lost Jenji. He did it because we asked." Chip said. "We were tired, and we got lazy, and there's no excuse for it. The only people who can win this war is us."

"Chip," Kira said, "I don't know anyone on your team that well, despite Conner and Nick's friendship. But, from what I know, you guys don't have entitled personalities. I have a question, because you know them better than I do. Before today, before this happened, has there ever been a time when you relied solely on Daggeron and Jenji like this? Where you, by your own admission, convinced Daggeron and Jenji to do something they didn't want to?"

"Well, no," Chip said.

"Do you think, if there had been another option available, Daggeron would have allowed it?" Kira asked.

"No," Chip said.

"And you deal with magic now," Kira said, "is it possible that magic played a less obvious hand in your behavior?"

Chip blinked, "I hadn't thought of that."

"You're thinking it now," Kira replied. "They say power corrupts, Chip, but the Power does not. If you were, just Mystics and not Rangers it would have been one thing. But being Rangers means that the easy way is not your default selection you will always choose the right way if you let yourself think. You're tired, but tomorrow, talk to Udonna. She'll probably have an answer for you."

"Ok," Chip said.

"Now," Kira said, "I have a different question for you. Also courtesy of Conner and Nick."

"Let's hear it," Chip said.

"Nick wants to know if you are, or will date Vida or Xander. Conner wants to know if you three are going to from a family." Kira said, hesitantly.

"I don't understand," Chip said.

"Nick says that you have a crush on Vida and Xander," Kira replied, "which I leave to you to admit or not. He's wondering which one you're going to date, but he's not asking around because of the Good Nick, Bad Nick debacle. Conner thinks the three of you should make a family together."

"Like a threesome?" Chip asked.

"Exactly," Kira said. "Except more permanent. I know we don't talk much, but you have to at least admit you care for both of them."

"I do," Chip replied. He sighed, "I really do, Kira. I just don't know what I feel. I don't know if I want to be with one of them or both of them and I don't know how they'll react. I'm just trying to stay their friend for now. We have enough going on in the world."

"As you say," Kira said. "I'll see if I can do some snooping. Tell Madison that I'm giving her number to Tori, the Blue Wind Ninja, so they can bond as Lady Blues."

"I will," Chip said. "Hey, stupid question here. Why are there Lady Blues, but not Lord Yellows?"


	52. Honor 21

Disclaimer; I still don't own Power Rangers.

A/N: This chapter is an example of how AU the story is. Yes, Chip was born on Halloween.

* * *

Chip leaned against the counter and watched his aunt for a long moment, "Hi," he said finally.

Andy turned, "Oh my God, Chip. What happened to you?"

Chip grinned and flinched as his bruised cheek complained. "I kind of got between Vida and Xander's new tenet." He crossed his arms with a slight shrug. "Vida didn't like him flirting with me, apparently. At least this way, she won't get in trouble with the cops; she still isn't done with the court mandated anger management classes from last time."

"Are you sure you're ok?" Andy asked.

"I'm concussed from the monster attack," Chip said, "but I'll be fine. Vida and I are going to dinner together tonight, and Xander and I are going to a movie."

"Chip, do you have a date?" Andy asked.

"Nope," Chip said with another grin. "I have two best friends whom I love dearly and want to spend time with. Unfortunately, Vida's on a kill Xander rampage so instead of the three of us doing dinner and a movie, I'm splitting my time between them. I'll probably crash at Xander's place after the movie. Ms. Walsh made the good cookies and gave Xander more than he could possibly eat."

"Ok," Andy said, "are you sure you're ok?"

Chip nodded, "I'm wonderful. Maddie says the potion Udonna gave me is making me goofy, but I feel wonderful."

"You took a potion," Andy said.

"Yeah, to help my concussion," Chip replied, "Udonna and I made it yesterday. It was so cool; it's nothing like cooking a meal." He pushed off from the counter, "I have to go change. I just wanted to say I love you Mom."

That said, Chip headed out of the kitchen and upstairs to change. Jeans were swapped from black pants, and a neat yellow shirt replaced his Rock Porium work shirt. He was sliding on his shoes when Brian came in, "Hey," Chip said.

"Hi," Brian replied. He glanced at Chip, "Going somewhere?"

"Just out with the guys," Chip replied with a slight shrug. He grabbed a backpack and tossed some clothes in it. "I'll be back tomorrow. See you later."

"Hey, I saw the new bad guys," Brian said.

"They aren't exactly 'new'," Chip replied, "they serve the Master of Evil same as Imperious and the others did. They're just stronger than the monsters we've been fighting. They aren't going to send monsters, they're going to attack us themselves. We defeat them, we get that much closer to the end of this war."

"Are you sure you're going to be ok?" Brian asked.

"Absolutely," Chip grinned at his roommate, "I'm a Power Ranger." He slung the bag over his shoulder and trotted back downstairs where his uncle was waiting for him. "Hi, Uncle Bryan."

"Hi Chip," Bryan said, "long day?"

"I've had longer," Chip replied with a grin, "I'm going out for the evening. I'll be back tomorrow after work."

"Are you sure?" Bryan asked.

"Yeah," Chip replied.

"Chip," Bryan said, "it's your birthday."

Chip hesitated, "Already? Where does the time go?" He fidgeted with his backpack for a moment, "Uncle Bryan, I know that dinner with the family is always my thing, but I promised Vida and Xander I'd spend time with them." Chip bit his lip, "I don't know what to say. The Rangers invited us out my next days off but I can cancel that, no problem. Maybe we can do a BBQ then instead of tonight."

"Are you sure?" Bryan asked.

Chip flushed slightly, "I'm positive, Uncle Bryan. I'll see you tomorrow." He threw his arm around his uncle and hurried out the door. He raced down the back yard to the large oak tree and slapped his hand against it, allowing himself to be sucked into the network of roots that could take him practically anywhere on the continent.

Tonight, he came out at a small park down from the restaurant where he'd promised to meet Vida. He walked down the road, arriving just as Vida pulled into the parking lot. "Hey," Chip called as he walked over.

"Hey Chip," Vida replied.

"Did you look at a calendar today?" Chip asked as he tossed his bag into the back of Vida's truck.

"No," Vida replied, "why?"

"It's Halloween," Chip replied.

"Already?" Vida replied, "How did I miss that?"

"You spent all day at Rootcore," Chip said, "before the Terrors showed up."

"Right," Vida said. She kissed his cheek, "Happy Birthday, Chip."

"Thanks," Chip said.

They walked into the restaurant and were quickly seated in a quiet booth. "What did you want to talk about?" Vida asked after they placed their meal orders.

Chip bit his lip, "I just wanted to talk about us."

"Is there an us?" Vida asked.

"I don't know," Chip replied as he toyed with his silverware. "Remember NyghtMare?"

"I'm not likely to forget," Vida replied.

"You never asked me what she wanted me to choose from," Chip said.

"I never felt it was something I needed to know," Vida replied.

"I think you need to," Chip replied. He leaned forward, "Vida, the choice I had to make, I've made. I thought about it a lot, and now that I have, it's your turn."

"I don't understand," Vida said.

"The NyghtMare wanted me to choose between you and Xander. Not as my best friends, but as something more." Chip said, calmly. He spread his hands and shifted back, "I can't make that choice, Vi. I love you both."

"That's a lot to put on a person," Vida said quietly.

"I'm going to tell Xander about this too," Chip said, "whatever happens, it has to be agreed on by all of us."

"I agree," Vida said. She reached over and caught Chip's hand in her own, but whatever she was going to say was interrupted by the arrival of their food.

Chip could only hope that things between him and Xander would go as well as his talk with Vida. He also hoped that things would end well for all of them.


	53. Honor 22

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers

A/N: You may have noticed the changed summary. Here I am repeating that. This story now contains M/M/F. Vipander to be exact. Enjoy!

* * *

Chip paced nervously through the hay loft. It had been a week since he'd managed to confess to both of his friends how he felt, and they had asked to meet him up here. Vida had taken the news calmly, he thought, but Xander hadn't reacted near as well. Although Chip had no doubt that their friendship was a strong as ever, he was worried about how comfortable Xander would be with the knowledge that Chip was in love with him.

Chip pressed his hands to chin in a prayer-like gesture, _Please don't let me lose them. I can handle them not wanting me, as long as we're still friends._ He wasn't sure whom he sent the wish out too, but he knew there was someone out there who heard.

"Chip," Vida said.

Chip turned, "Hi."

Vida swung off the ladder, followed by Xander, Chip dropped his hands and swung them back and forth, as he rocked on his heels, "Hey," Xander said with a quick glance at Vida.

"You wanted to talk?" Chip asked, "We can go into the fortress."

Vida nodded, "Let's do that."

They retreated into the small room and stood there looking at each other in silence. Chip rocked back on his heels and onto his toes, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"You dropped a bombshell on us," Vida said, "I'm sorry I couldn't answer you right away."

"That's ok," Chip replied, "it took me a while to accept what I was feeling. I didn't really expect something like this for a while."

"That wouldn't be fair, though," Xander said, "you deserve to hear something from us."

"I just want to know that the two of you are comfortable with knowing," Chip said, trying not to show how nervous he was. "I don't want to pressure you into something you don't want, or drive you away because of something I say or do. You're my best friends and I don't want lose that, no matter what." His eyes had dropped to the floor as the words came out of him in a rush. As he paused for breath, there was a whisper of noise and then someone kissed his cheek.

Chip stepped back, looking up as he did. Vida stood just in front of him with a slight smile on her face. Chip backed into something solid and warm and when he looked, it was Xander. _When did he get behind me?_ Chip thought, even as he shifted away from Xander. "Chip," Vida said, drawing his attention, "don't say anything for a little bit. Just listen to us." She put her hand on his arm, "I can't begin to claim that I know how you feel, I've honestly never thought about it beyond a second's attention. You, you're my best friend, and maybe I can't say I'm in love with you, but that doesn't mean I couldn't feel that way."

"Like Vi says," Xander said, "I can't say it, but you two, you're the only ones I ever told I was bi. I can't deny that I've always wondered, but Chip, I'm not going to start something with you if it's going to go nowhere."

Chip closed his eyes, because this was not going to go well. He waited for the bomb to drop in silence. "God Chip, what are you thinking," Vida asked and hugged him. "We're not saying no. We're saying we don't know, but we're willing to see what happens."

"What?" Chip asked, staring at her in shock.

"Vida wants to fall into this head first," Xander said, his hand falling onto Chip's back. "I'm worried about what will happen."

"Xander, shut up," Vida said, "you're either in, or you're out."

Chip looked over at Xander who sighed, "So, dating my two best friends. I guess I'm in." As Xander's arm shifted to encircle his waist, Chip sighed. It was entirely possible that he'd just been given his greatest wish. "So," Xander said, "I guess this means that you will both get fully lethal if I stop flirting, right?"

"Uh," Chip said, trying to catch up with Xander's sudden opinion.

"You will not flirt where we can see you," Vida said firmly, "because you'll make Chip look like a sad puppy and that makes me homicidal."

"I don't mind," Chip said, because it was ok. Xander could flirt with whomever he wanted as long as he came back. "I'm not going to object, Vida. As long as it's just flirting, I can handle it. If you want to be jealous or whatever then say it, don't blame me for your feelings." He looked from Vida to Xander as he extricated himself from their embrace. "This doesn't work that way, not for me. I'm not the scapegoat for your emotions, Vida, or the excuse for your behavior, Xander. I want this, that's why I told you both, but I am not going to let this be an uneven, misshapen triangle because you can't speak the truth. I'm not asking for either of you to be anything more than what you are, I'm just asking that you admit the truth when you're directly asked about it."

From the way Vida and Xander stared at each other, they didn't get it. "Look, I've spent years watching relationships. Communication, the ability to express thoughts, problems and needs, is the reason Andy and Brian are happily married in the mad house. Willingness to compromise is why my dad's second marriage is, and I can't believe I'm saying this, actually working well for him despite the step-monster and the little one. If you want to tear each other apart, let me know so that I can get out of the line of fire."

"Ok," Vida said. "Ok," she looked over at Xander.

"This will work," Chip said with a careful smile, "you just have to trust me sometimes." He held up his hand, "Not like the thing with the trebuchet and the cat, just, listen sometimes."

"I can do that," Xander said easily.

"Me to," Vida agreed after studying him for a long moment. "You've changed, Chip."

Chip grinned, "Not really. I'm just becoming a better me."


	54. Honor 23

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers.

A/N: This is the end of Honor. Next up is Speed, Ronnie's story. Now is a time to remind people that SPD is, per Canon, in the future and therefore to be treated differently.

* * *

They defeated the Master just in time for Christmas, which was good because Xander's parents were flying him back to Australia for a week, and bad because none of them had told anyone that they were maybe-kind of-trying to date each other and so finding ways to be together just them were difficult, what with Madison being lonely after Nick, Udonna and Leanbow headed off for South Carolina and Claire calling them at least once a week to fix a spell gone wrong or because she's lonely with Daggeron off doing whatever it was he did when he wasn't pushing Chip in his sword lessons.

Xander had been the creative genius who figured out one way to arrange it. Claire and Daggeron didn't celebrate Christmas, but were willing to do a 'winter celebration and gift exchange' along with LeeLee, Phineas and Necrolai, or Nikki as she called herself after she'd lost her powers. Xander had told everyone to show up at five and then asked Vida and Chip to come over at four to help him 'decorate'.

Besides managing the Rock Porium, Xander was the overseer of a small apartment complex his grandparents owned. Chip still wasn't sure if his Australian relatives had bought the complex for some obscure reason or if it had been his grandparents' way of helping him stay in America after high school and his dad's transfer back to Australia shortly after graduation. Certainly, he'd never heard of them owning it until graduation, when Xander had rushed up to him and told him all about it.

One of the perks was that Xander lived in a nice two bedroom apartment rent free, and all he had to do was handle the off hour maintenance emergencies. There was a day manager who handled things like renting the apartments and seeing to their upkeep; Xander just had to sign off the big ticket items for his grandparents.

On the appointed day, a week before Christmas, Chip arrived at Xander's just after four with a backpack full of gifts and nothing on his mind but tree ornaments and tinsel. Needless to say, it was a bit of a shock to find himself practically dragged into the apartment after he'd knocked and kissed thoroughly while the door slammed shut. "I swear," Xander said when he broke the kiss, "if something happens in the next hour that interrupts us, I will not be responsible for the opinion of my plants."

Chip simply stared up at his boyfriend, startled, "Ok," he said finally.

"I mean, it's not fair," Xander said, "I finally get the chance to actually think of you and Vida as more than friends and every time we try to do something we get interrupted."

"Where is Vida?" Chip asked.

"In the kitchen," Xander replied, "probably eating all my cookie dough."

"Not all of it," Vida protested as she appeared over Xander's shoulder, "I save some for Chip." She slid around Xander and kissed his cheek. "I'm getting a cold," she added with a slight sniff.

"I can take care of that," Chip said, "just let me put my backpack down, ok?"

It was the work of a moment for him to execute the neat healing spell Udonna had taught him, "Wow," Vida said, and took a deep breath, "I can breathe again."

"I know, it's like magic," Chip said with lifted eyebrows.

"You only think you're funny," Vida told him and kissed him on the lips. She tasted like chocolate and cookies, while Xander had tasted like chocolate and cinnamon.

"I am hilarious," Chip said after breaking the kiss, "Now where's my cookie dough?"

It was in the kitchen that Chip really felt it. Maybe it was the way Xander grumbled but teased as he made more batches of cookie dough because they ate half of it, or the way Vida would stick bits of dough in Xander's mouth to shut him up. Maybe it was the fact that they weren't trying to race each other for something Chip wasn't sure he was ready for yet.

Maybe it was just the Spirit of Christmas settling upon them, but for forty-five minutes, in a kitchen that grew progressively covered in flour, Chip felt at home. Soon enough, he knew, their friends would arrive to exchange gifts and eat cookies and it would be a little awkward because Nick and his parents were gone but they'd enjoy the gifts. Then Xander would be off to Australia for a summer Christmas and to try to explain the three of them to his parents. Vida would get back to trying to distract and cheer up Madison between Nick's infrequent phone calls while raging to Chip that her sister was a stubborn idiot and Nick was a moron because they wouldn't use their morphers as cell phones and talk more. Chip would be back at Winterlight, chasing cousins and fighting with his step-sister, who had managed to say something nice when she'd found out he was a Ranger, but her ingrained hatred had overcome her awe quickly.

Maybe in the new year, Chip would given in and move in with Xander so he could focus on nursing school and Vida would move in to the empty apartment being renovated with Madison and they could just be a young relationship with a sister-in-law to cheer up.

Maybe it would happen, maybe it wouldn't, but as Vida fed him a bit of cookie dough, Chip couldn't stop himself from praying. _If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up._


	55. Speed 1

Disclaimer; I don't own Power Rangers Operation Overdrive.

A/N: This is the beginning of Ronny's yellow arc: Speed. First, I am aware that the spelling should be Ronny, but I may have spelled it Ronnie in some places. Second, I am not as familiar with OO as I am with the others, so my characterizations may be a little shaky. Not to mention I reserve the right to alter canon backstories as I see fit. That said, enjoy!

* * *

Ronny growled as she pulled her things from her pack, "Where is it?"

"Ronny!"

Ronny turned to find Mack standing in the door to her new room, "What?" She snapped.

Mack blinked, "I was just going to ask," he stopped, "is everything ok?"

"No," Ronny replied, "I can't find my phone card."

"Phone card?" Mack repeated.

"I need to make a phone call," Ronny replied.

"Just use the phone," Mack said, "we've got free long distance."

"I need to call Italy," Ronny said, "and I probably shouldn't do it on your dad's dime."

Mack snorted, "Dad makes three hour calls to Japan, Spain, and Australia every day. A call to Italy isn't going to break the phone. If you feel bad about it, we can ask Dad if he minds."

"I don't think," Ronny began, but the newly minted Red Ranger was already off and running. She frowned, muttered one of those Italian words she really wasn't supposed to know, and resumed digging in her bag.

"Dad says as long as you don't talk forever its fine," Mack announced popping back in her room. "The guest rooms all have private lines so you can give that out if you want, or just give them the manse number and Spencer will field the calls for you."

Ronny barely managed to refrain from snapping as she brushed her hair from her face. "Thank you," she said instead. When Mack didn't move, she stood, "A little privacy, please?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Mack replied. "Dinner's in an hour, Ronny." He closed the door and Ronny could hear him start to whistle as he left.

Ronny sighed, bent over to grab her address book, and headed to the phone on the desk, flipping through the numbers until she found the one she wanted. Interminable minutes later, she heard the voice she always missed the most. "VR Racing, this is Vick."

"Vick, it's Ronny," Ronny said as she sat down on the desk chair.

"Ronny? Is everything ok?" Her twin asked, all the cheerfulness vanishing in an instant.

"I think so," Ronny replied, "either that or I finally did the stupidest thing ever."

"What is going on, are you…pregnant?" Vick asked.

"God no," Ronny said, startled into a laugh. "No, it's nothing like _that._ Vick, I'm a Power Ranger."

"What, how?" Vick asked, "You said you were meeting a sponsor."

"I thought I was," Ronny replied, "but he asked, and there was this ghost and we were attacked by lizards and ice monsters and I morphed and Vick, _I'm a Power Ranger."_ Only sheer effort of will kept Ronny from laughing hysterically at the thought of her day.

"Ronny," Vick said, "slow down. Who asked you to be a Ranger?"

"Andrew Hartford, from Hartford Industries," Ronny replied, "why me? Vick, you're the calm logical one!"

"We'll worry about that later. You said there was a ghost?" Vick said.

"Rose and Mr. Hartford said he was the 'Sentinel Knight', the protector of this crown, the Corona Aurora," Ronny said.

"I've heard of the Corona Aurora," Vick said, "I took that year in Universal Legends, remember."

"That's what Rose said," Ronny replied with a laugh, "you probably had the same professor."

"Maybe we did," Vick replied. "Who's we, by the way."

"Rose Ortiz, Will Aston and Dax Lo," Ronny said, "well, and Mack Hartford, Mr. Hartford's son."

"All right," Vick said, "can you tell me the rest of it now, are you feeling calmer?"

"Of course," Ronny said and launched into the extended version of her trip to San Angeles, California. Talking to her twin brother had always had a soothing affect on Ronny, one that had first shown itself during their childhood. Vick was the older twin, and the more dominant. Ronny was loud and exuberant, willing to jump head first into anything. Vick was more likely to be the one to temper her rashness with logic. Ronny had barely scrapped past high school and trade school; Vick had graduated early and went to Harvard. Ronny had always been determined to drive, while Vick split his time between managing the team and finance.

"You'll be taking a leave of absence then," Vick said when Ronny finally wound down.

"Vick," Ronny said.

"Hey, it's ok," Vick said, "Michele and Sarah aren't Grand Prix drivers yet, but this will be good for them. You know your star casts deep shadows over them no matter what. This way, they get exposure that they need without it looking like you're buying that exposure. I'll stay close to the team and keep things together, but _you_ have to tell Dad."

"Vick," Ronny whined.

"No, Ronny," Vick said firmly. "You have to tell Dad. I'll handle your European sponsors, ok. I won't mention the Ranger thing until you do, so you'll probably see some odd headlines."

Ronny slumped even further into her chair, "I'll tell Dad, and I'll ask the team about the press. God Vick, these people aren't car people. They're the exact opposite of car people. Mack's a rich kid, Dax is, I think, a stunt man who spends way too much time talking about his 'connections', Will is a spy, or a thief, I'm not sure, and Rose is highly intelligent."

"You'll get along fine, Ronny," Vick said. "Just show them your good side and don't get too competitive."

"I'll try," Ronny hedged.

"Now, I have work to do, and you should probably call Dad," Vick said.

"Slave driver," Ronny muttered. Vick laughed as he hung up. Ronny clicked off the phone and stared at it. She really didn't want to have to call her father and explain this. Her finger drifted over the talk button for a long moment and she sighed, "This is stupid." She started to press the talk button.

Someone pounded on the door, "Ronny!" Dax called, "Dinner!"

"Coming," Ronny replied, glancing at the clock by her bed. She blinked in surprise as she realized that she had spent an hour talking to her brother. She put the phone back on the charger with a feeling of guilty relief before she stood up and opened the door. Dax was still standing there, dancing from foot to foot, "What?" She asked him.

Dax shrugged, "I just thought you'd like an escort down to the dining room."

"Ok," Ronny began, "do you know where the dining room is?"

Dax flushed, "I was kind of hoping you'd know."

Ronny laughed lightly, "I actually do remember. Come on Dax, I'll guide you down there."

"Thanks Ronny," Dax said. "I'm not usually this bad at directions."

"I've been in enough strange places," Ronny replied, "I've just gotten good at remembering the important places, the bathroom, the kitchen, the bar."

"There's a bar here?" Dax repeated.

"Dad doesn't drink," Mack said, appearing from behind them. "Sorry, I thought you might have gotten lost."

"Not exactly," Ronny replied. "There's no alcohol here?"

"Not unless Spencer has some stashed somewhere," Mack replied, "the stairs down are right around this corner."

"Great," Dax said, "I'm starving."

"You had a snack half an hour ago," Mack pointed out as they rounded the corner and found the stairs.

"But I'm still hungry," Dax replied.

"He's right," Ronny said, "I'm hungry too."

Mack shrugged as they started down the stairs, "Probably from all the excitement. Will and Rose were saying the same thing."


	56. Speed 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Op. Overdrive.

A/N: I don't really like Op Overdrive as a series. The characters...it's complicated. Therefore, I probably have some bad characterizations here, but I think I've managed to emphasize the plot of the story, for the most part.

* * *

Ronny looked around the table as they finished the meal, and sighed softly, "I have a question," she said.

"All right," Mr. Hartford said.

"Are we keeping our identities secret?" Ronny replied, "Because if I'm taking time off for this, I need to have something to tell my sponsors, and my dad." She hesitated a moment, "I told my brother, since he'll have to take over the team while I'm gone, but he needed to know and he won't say anything until I do."

"I think the decision belongs to the team," Mr. Hartford said, "whatever all of you decide will be the rule."

"You told your brother," Will said.

"Unlike you," Ronny replied, "I am a well known figure. I can't just disappear for a year."

"Why not?" Mack asked.

Ronny closed her eyes, _spare me from non car people._ Opening her eyes, Ronny tried to explain. "Being a race car driver isn't just driving fast cars. It's a business. I have people who depend on me, mechanics mostly, but my brother helps me with the financial aspects, and the PR. I also have two other drivers on the team who need training and reassurance. I can't finance all of that with my race winnings, so I have sponsors; sponsors who took a chance on a woman driver and sponsors who signed up because of my name. I can't just vanish, and taking a leave of absence with no explanation means everyone is going to think I'm pregnant or something. I told Vick because he deserves to know. I want to tell my father because he isn't going to be happy, but this might lessen the impact. I'm not saying that I want to host a press conference, I just would like to have something to say that might spare the team some backlash." She looked around the table, but there was very little understanding. Only Mr. Hartford seemed to understand what she was saying.

"I don't see any reason to hide who we are," Mack said with a shrug. "I don't want to make some huge announcement, but secret identities seem to be more trouble than they're worth."

Will frowned, "I don't know," he said.

"You might find it an asset," Hartford offered, "especially in your security work. People would pay more to have a Power Ranger check their security systems." He turned slightly, "And Rose, there are organizations that work almost exclusively with Rangers, there are doors they can open that even your intelligence wouldn't." He paused, "And Dax, I know of at least one Ranger who did stunt work, although it was after he retired. Your abilities as a Ranger will translate well back into the movies."

"Sure," Dax said.

"All right," Rose agreed.

Will was silent, and then he sighed, "As long as we don't make some big announcement about this. I don't want a lot of media attention."

Ronny smiled, "Thanks guys." She pushed her plate back, "If you don't mind, I need to call my dad. It's better if I call him now rather than let someone else tell him about this." She hurried back up to her room and picked up the phone. For a long moment, she just stared at it, then she dialed.

"Robinson Racing, this is Amanda."

Ronnie's smile returned, "Hi Mom, it's Ronny."

"Ronny, sweetheart, shouldn't you be asleep?" Amanda Robison asked.

"Not exactly," Ronny replied with a wince. She'd probably woken Victor up earlier. "Is Dad there, I really need to talk to him."

"Sure honey," Amanda said, "he's right here."

Ronny waited for the phone to be handed over, "Veronica!" George Robinson said, in his naturally loud voice, "I saw the race, you looked good."

"Thanks Dad," Ronny replied. "Look, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"What's up sweetheart?" George asked.

"I'm," Ronny paused, "I'm taking a leave of absence from racing."

"Why would you do that?" George asked, puzzled, "You aren't pregnant, are you?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Ronny demanded, "No, I'm not pregnant. Someone made me an offer and I said yes. Dad, I'm a Power Ranger." She moved the phone away from her ear.

"You're a what?" George roared.

"A Power Ranger," Ronny said. "A superhero. I'm not driving right now because I am a Power Ranger. I'm part of a team fighting evil."

"You're just going to leave your sponsors hanging, your fans hanging, your team hanging while you prance around in spandex?" George demanded.

"No," Ronny replied, "I'm taking all that vacation time I never use to do something big. My sponsors can tell the world they support a Power Ranger. My fans will have an even bigger role model to emulate, and there are two exceptionally talented drivers that have a contract with the team. This gives them a chance to drive without me hovering over them. If nothing else, Vick can drive. I know he doesn't like racing, but he can win the same races I've been driving in."

George grumbled something Ronny pretended she couldn't hear.

"The team agreed that as long as we don't hold a press conference and announce it to the world, we don't need secret identities. I'm going to draft a statement for the press about my leave, and we'll let it go at that." Ronny replied.

"Ronny, people don't leave being a Power Ranger," George said bluntly, "they either die, or they put on their uniforms every few years and save the world again."

"Maybe," Ronny replied, "but I can live with that, Dad. At least then I'll have a good death. This isn't a horrible thing, or even a bad one. We'll get more sponsors, for one. The family of a Ranger? We could pick and choose sponsors. Racing will get more fans because I'm _Ronnie Robinson,_ a race car driver turned Power Ranger. This is a boon for the sport." She paused to think of more good points.

"Talk to your mother," George said.

"A Power Ranger?" Amanda said, "Really honey. I know you wanted to drive cars, which isn't the most ladylike thing."

"Mom," Ronny cried, "really? Another lecture about being a lady? I thought we agreed that I was never that good at being a lady and let it go."

"Sweetheart, I just want what's best for you," Amanda replied.

"What's best for me? I'm twenty-four years old," Ronny said, "I have a successful career that I love and I was just offered a fantastic opportunity that few people ever get a chance at."

"I know honey," Amanda said. "Are you sure you want to do this, it's not safe."

"I'm not on this Earth to be safe," Ronny replied, the same way she did every year when her mother made her 'are you sure you want to drive' speech. Amanda Robinson had always dreamed her only daughter would be a lady. Ronny hated to break her mother's heart, but she wasn't a lady. Not the way her mother wanted her to be. "Why can't either of you just be proud of me," she wondered out loud and hung up the phone.

Sighing, Ronny sat down on her bed and dropped the phone beside her. She always came out of a conversation with her parents feeling like she was failing miserably at something she should have been able to handle. She wasn't sure why, and she was afraid to ask Victor. After all, he would tell her what she already knew about herself.


	57. Speed 3

Disclaimer; I do not own Supernatural or Criminal Minds

A/N: Much thanks to new beta Tatooed Librarian!

* * *

Ronnie took the back staircase to the kitchen quietly and slowly. Dressed in a black dress with yellow accents and heels, with her hair styled, she didn't want to mess anything up. Especially since she didn't think her hyper speed would mix well with heels. Spencer was in the kitchen alone when Ronnie opened the door. "Hi," she said quietly.

"Mr. Hartford said you were going out," Spencer commented in an equally soft tone.

"Yes," Ronnie replied, smoothing her dress. "Just some personal business; I shouldn't be out too late."

"I hope you have a good time," Spencer replied.

"Thank you," Ronnie said, "he told me I could use one of the cars?"

"Of course, did you have one in mind?" Spencer asked.

"Well, I'm going to have three people and luggage with me," Ronnie said, "so I'll need space, but, nothing flashy please."

"Then may I recommend the Range Rover," Spencer said.

"Perfect," Ronnie said, "where are the keys?"

"I will go get them," Spencer replied and was gone before Ronnie could protest.

Ronnie smoothed her dress again and then stopped her hands before she could run them through her hair. She didn't know why she was so nervous. "Wow, you look good."

Ronnie turned to find Will standing in the door to the kitchen, "Hi, thanks," Ronnie replied.

"Going somewhere?" Will asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame.

Ronnie eyed him for a moment, "I might be."

"Where are you going?" Will said.

Ronnie smirked, "None of your business, Will, just out."

"You've got a date, don't you?"

"No, it's not a date."

"Then why are you dressed up so fancy?"

"Because I wanted to dress this way, it is a free country."

"Here are the keys," Spencer announced, "excuse me, Will."

"Sorry Spencer," Will said, moving out of the butler's way.

"Not a problem sir," Spencer replied and handed the keys to Ronnie. "Have a good evening."

"It can only get better," Ronnie replied and headed out of the kitchen. "Later, Will."

"Do you have your morpher?" Will asked, suddenly serious.

Ronnie held up her yellow clutch, "Of course, Dad." Then she shut the garage door behind her firmly.

The drive out to the local airport was soothing, Ronnie cranked up the a/c and the radio before relaxing into the seat. She normally wasn't an SUV fan, but she had to admit the Range Rover was a very nice one.

Waiting at the airport were three figures that made Ronnie smile in delight, first was the tall, lanky blond Victor, dressed in slacks and yellow shirt, flanked by dark haired Michele, dressed in slacks and a pink button down and blond Sarah in a red dress with black accents in an Asian design. "Hi," she called as she jumped out of the SUV. "I can't believe you're all here, did you have any trouble? Is the whole team coming, how did your races go?"

Victor laughed and caught her in a hug. "We're fine, we had no trouble. Mario opted not to come, but we didn't really expect him to."

"I won," Sarah said with a modest smile. Ronnie frowned at her a moment and Sarah's smile grew, "I had some trouble early on, and one of the others hit the wall, but nobody was hurt and I pulled out a victory in the end."

"Third," Michele added with a cheerful grin, "not as good as I wanted, but better than I expected after the trip I had."

"That's great," Ronnie said and hugged Michele tightly. She hesitated to hug Sarah, who laughed and stepped up. It was always difficult to tell how Sarah would react. She had joined the team almost by accident, and always seemed reserved as if afraid to get close to them. Ronnie had spent the better part of a year getting through Sarah's defenses this much. "Let's get you guys to a hotel," Ronnie said, "I thought maybe we could grab something to eat afterwards."

"Sounds like a plan," Victor replied, catching up the handle to his suitcase, "The quality of airplane food is inversely proportional to the distance you travel in said plane."

Ronnie giggled, "Hartford loaned me the SUV for the evening, so let's go."

They loaded the luggage into the SUV and left the airport quickly. The hotel Victor had booked was easy to find and soon the foursome were settled in a nice Italian restaurant. "I hate to say this," Sarah said after they had eaten, "but we were being followed."

Ronnie glanced up, "we were?"

"It was a red jeep," Sarah replied, "three guys. They picked us up on the way back from the airport and tailed us into town. The driver was good, I would have thought it was nothing but they're out in the parking lot, don't look."

"Can you see them clearly?" Ronnie asked. She knew Sarah's uncle had been paranoid that Sarah would end up in trouble and had trained her as if she were one of the bodyguards at the company he worked at. If Sarah said they had a tail, they had a tail.

"Driver is African American male," Sarah said, "braids, wearing a black shirt. Front passenger is Caucasian, red shirt. Back seat is Asian male, blue shirt. The Asian can't sit still, or shut up."

Ronnie sighed, "it's the boys from my Ranger team. I didn't feel like explaining everything when I left. They're just being curious."

"Want to lose them for a while?" Sarah offered, "I know you and Victor have that logistics stuff to talk about."

"Can you?" Ronnie asked.

Sarah smiled, "You've got fans. Behind you, a group of young girls. They've just been whispering, but I can tell. Be ready to get out of here in five."

"We're ready," Victor said, smiling at Ronnie.

"I'll handle the check," Michele offered, "you two just get out of here."

"Thanks," Ronnie said, "I'll pay you back."

"That's ok," Michele said, "I don't mind."

Sarah slid out of her seat casually and headed off. Ronnie didn't turn to look. She already knew what her friend was up to with the fans. They'd pulled this before when someone was being too persistent. Get a group of fans, usually female, to mob the annoyance. Ronnie made a mental note to make sure she found a way to thank the girls if they helped them out.

"You're clear," Sarah said, "the girls are on their way out."

Ronnie and Victor stood and hurried for the second exit, knowing the other two would find their own way home.

"Want to tell me what's wrong?" Victor asked as they left the restaurant.

After a moment to think Ronnie said, "am I too competitive?"

"In what sense?" Victor asked.

"Just, when I'm playing games for fun," Ronnie replied, and told him about how her team was beginning to react to playing games with her.

"You're an intense person," Victor said after a long moment, "you're dedicated, driven, and decisive. Are you competitive? Yes. In racing that's your greatest asset. You're on a team, but you rise or fall by what you do. Rangers, and I'm not an expert, but they put a lot of focus on a different sort of teamwork, the kind that is more like a machine. You can work with that kind of team, but it's not your natural instinct. You have an incredible drive to win and you don't let anyone stop you, which are assets to being a Ranger. The problem you have, Ronnie, is you forget that not everything is life or death."

"Ok," Ronnie said, "in other words, I am too competitive, but that's usually ok. I am trying though, to fit in. I just, I forget, and these morphers, they're incredible. I have so much energy now, and I'm stronger and faster too. Mr. Hartford said we should have leveled out, but I'm not sure if I have."

Victor hummed thoughtfully, "I bet what it is, Ronnie, is that you've been altering between intense and excited, and that's what throws you off. I know you've been anxious about us getting back to the West Coast since we decided to come here."

"So I should level off again, then?" Ronnie asked anxiously.

"I don't know," Victor said, "I'm grasping at straws. My forte, if you'll remember, is finance."

"Speaking of," Ronnie said as they arrived at the hotel, "we should go over the books."

They got out of the car and headed up to Victor's room, their discussion switching from introspection to business on the way.


	58. Speed 4

Disclaimer: I still don't own power rangers.

A/N: Much thanks to my beta as always! This takes place AFTER "Man of Mercury 1&2". I made up everything about Tyzonn because I wanted to. Also, I don't know much of anything about racing cars, most of what I know comes from a series written by Mercedes Lackey called The SERRAted Edge and had Elves in it. (Seriously, Elves who drove race cars. I love that series.)

* * *

Ronnie found Tyzonn standing in the middle of the living room, "Hey," she said, "everything ok?"

Tyzonn smiled at her, "Everything is fine, Ronnie. I am, surprised, if you will."

"How so?" Ronnie asked.

"I have grown up on a planet that is known for its technology," Tyzonn said, "but I find myself on a planet that barely contains basic technology on the whole and I find I do not know how anything works."

Ronnie laughed, "What did you want? I can help."

"I'm hungry," Tyzonn admitted.

"Did you ask Spencer?" Ronnie asked.

"He is helping Mr. Hartford downstairs," Tyzonn replied, "I didn't want to bother them."

"Come with me to the kitchen and I'll get you something," Ronnie said motioning him to follow, "Come on."

They walked over to the kitchen and Ronnie gestured, "Do you want something specific? I can make a mean sandwich."

"What is a sandwich?" Tyzonn asked.

Ronnie paused staring at him, "You don't know what a sandwich is?"

"No," Tyzonn replied.

"It's bread, mayonnaise, a meat and cheese, then you add other stuff as you feel like it. My brother likes peanut butter, banana, and honey." Ronnie opened the fridge and began selecting what she needed, "Tell you what," she said, "I'll make something and have you try it." She hesitated, "You aren't allergic to anything are you?"

"No," Tyzonn said, "Mercurian dietary requirements are compatible with humans." He paused, "Is that real meat?"

"Yeah," Ronnie said, "Spencer orders it from some organic company, so it's pretty close to fresh off the cow."

"I don't understand," Tyzonn said.

"Yes," Ronnie replied, "It's real meat, not processed or altered beyond being cooked and cut." She put the sandwich together, "So, how did you get into intergalactic rescue?"

Tyzonn shrugged, "Mercuria hasn't needed Rangers for generations because we're located near several planets that have Rangers. The rescue squad was our way of contributing to the galaxy. My parents worked for a company that designed equipment for the squads, but I wanted to be more hands on. I'm sure they're worried about me, but I've been told that I can contact them easily enough." He hesitated, "What about you?"

Ronnie grinned at him, "My parents come from money, my mother's family works in manufacturing, and my dad races stock cars."

"Races stock cars," Tyzonn repeated.

"Stock cars are upgraded cars that we race, depending on where we're at, the tracks are all different, but it's essentially the first car to complete a certain number of laps." Ronnie replied.

"I'm familiar with racing vehicles," Tyzonn said, "I've never heard of a stock car though."

Ronnie grinned, "Next time we get a weekend, I'll take you up to the track, and you can see what I mean." She slid the sandwich over, "Try that. Now, my dad's been in racing all his life, the Robinson Racing Team is very well known; it's the only life I ever wanted. Before Mr. Hartford offered me the morpher, I was a champion driver over in Europe with my team. While I'm here, my brother's running the team and we have two other drivers as well."

"You were a driver?" Tyzonn repeated.

"Yeah," Ronnie said, "More than that, I was the head of my team. My brother, Victor, helps with the financing because he's always had a head for numbers, but it's my team."

"I meant no offense," Tyzonn said quietly. "I simply did not think of you as anything other a healer."

"A what?" Ronnie asked.

"A healer," Tyzonn replied, "Yellow rangers are known for being healers."

Ronnie shrugged, "I've studied first aid, if that's what you mean. I'm not much for formal training."

"Maybe you should consider it," Tyzonn said, "you would not have activated the yellow morpher if you did not possess a healer's heart."

Ronnie nodded, "I'll keep that in mind, but only if you try your sandwich."

Tyzonn glanced down and picked it up the sandwich. "I was always the brave one in the family," he muttered, and took a bite.

"Don't knock it before you try it," Ronnie scolded him.

"Tried what?" Will asked, coming in out of the garage.

"This sandwich," Tyzonn said with surprise, "it's good."

"Told you," Ronnie replied smugly.

"Are you still ignoring me?" Will asked, "Come on, Ronnie, I said I was sorry."

"What is wrong?" Tyzonn asked.

"Ronnie went out with some guy a few weeks ago, and two girls. Mac, Dax, and I were curious and followed her. She set some fans on us to get away," Will said.

"My brother and our drivers came by," Ronnie said simply, "I took an evening to talk business with them, only to have the male contingent following me like really bad paparazzi. Having Michele and Sarah set those girls on you was your just deserts. I'm allowed to have a private life, Will."

"Well, yeah, but," Will began.

"This is the problem," Ronnie snapped, "I'm famous, ok. I've been famous for years, both as a daughter of the Robinson family and as a driver. I know the difference between public and private lives. I live with it. The thing is, there are limits, when I'm out with the team, I know I might have to hand out an autograph because I'm a driver or a Power Ranger these days, but what you did, that's the kind of thing only a paparazzi would do. That's the sort of behavior that can get people hurt. You didn't think, Will. None of you thought about what you were doing, you simply assumed that because I'm your teammate you had some sort of a right to know what I was doing. You don't. If I don't want to tell you that my brother's spending the night in town so that we can go over the numbers, contracts, and sponsors before they resettle on the West Coast then I don't have to. Hartford knew where I'd be, my tracker was on, and that was all I had to do."

"Jeez Ronnie," Will laughed, "calm down."

Ronnie was not the sort to resort to violence, but staring at Will's smug expression, she didn't even hesitate, "Don't be a jackass, Will," she told him bluntly. "Although that seems to be your default personality."

As she stalked out of the kitchen, she heard him ask Tyzonn, "What did I do?"

Ronnie headed outside, intending to go for a run to calm down. Will and Mack still didn't understand, but Dax actually had. When Ronnie told him it had felt like being stalked by reporters, he'd understood instantly. It had to be the fact that he, Dax, had been in Hollywood for so long. Mack was the isolated and naïve son of a rich eccentric, unless Hartford had managed a major archaeological discovery or major technological advancement, they tended to be under the radar for reporters. Will, on the other hand, was a spy; he spent his life watching people unobserved. He probably would never understand how much that had hurt her. That she, who had gladly opened so much of her life to be an example for young girls, had been stalked by a guy for no reason or purpose.

As she ran, Ronnie tried to pretend that she was setting all of her turmoil free, grinding it into the dust with every step. Too bad, she couldn't really do that.


	59. Speed 5

Disclaimer; Power Rangers Operation Overdrive ain't mine.

A/N: It's December. I can start posting again. These are missing and slightly altered or extended scenes from Once A Ranger one and two. As always, thanks to my beta!

* * *

They lost the Power on Tuesday; of course it was Tuesday, all the bad things happen on Tuesday. Ronny would never forget the physical pain of being separated from the Morphing Grid any more than she would forget the emotional shock of confronting Thrax.

The fact that the fight made the evening news, complete with film that some foolhardy reporter got from just outside the standardized one hundred foot safety radius, was really the icing on Ronny's cake. Thankfully, Spencer held all calls for the Rangers so they could recover and plan their next move.

When Mister Hartford announced he couldn't fix the morphers, Ronny felt like Mack sucker punched her, but her teammates. Tyzonne looked ill, physically ill, Mack looked like his world had ended and Will had that impassive look that meant he was really hiding what he felt but he was just as upset as the rest of them. Rose's eyes were darting over the collection of morphers in that way that said she was trying to come up with a solution.

There was truly only one solution. With the Sentinel Knight off to get back up somewhere, they did what they were called to do, they fought the bad guys.

As Ronny struggled to pick herself up, she wondered if they'd all just forgotten everything they knew about fighting, because that was easily the worst fight she'd ever been in.

Then came the Rangers. Real Power Rangers, Rangers who had won their fights, who dealt with their bad guys, and who sent Mig and Kamdore running for the hills.

Then they demorphed.

Ronny glanced at the girl in yellow, but when their eyes met, Ronny turned to Mack.

"Thanks," Mack said, "whoever you are."

"We're glad to help," the oldest of the five, the black ranger, responded. Will made a soft noise, but when Ronny glanced at him, he shook his head slightly.

"Is anyone else confused here?" Dax asked.

The girl in blue blinked for a moment, but whatever she was thinking, the Sentinel Knight interrupted. "I will answer all your questions."

"But maybe this isn't the best place," the girl in blue added and nodded, "Looks like reporters are coming."

"None of us have open identities," added the yellow girl.

"It would be very bad if I were caught," the red ranger offered.

Ronny glanced over her shoulder and then at the rest of the team, Mack nodded, "Will, Ronny, can you stall them? We need to get the vehicles loaded anyways. You guys can hang out there."

"How long do you need?" Will asked.

"Fifteen minutes," Mack said, "and no international incidents."

"It was only one time," Ronny protested as she headed to stall the reporters, "and it wasn't my fault."

Ronny glanced at Will, "Let me spin this?" She requested softly.

"Not a problem," Will replied.

"Ronny Robinson," someone called.

"On second thought," Ronny said, "this wasn't a great idea."

"You volunteered," Will said casually.

Ronny pasted on a bright smile, "Martha from OK, right?" She addressed the woman who had said her name.

"That's right," Martha replied, "Who are those other Rangers? Why are they here?"

"One question at a time," Will interrupted pointedly.

"Who they are?" Ronny said, "Senior Rangers, allies. I'm sure you recognize the suits."

"Why are they here?" One of the other reporters asked, "I'm Will, from the Global."

"Will from the Global," Ronny said, "They came because we asked them to."

"Why?" Will asked.

"Someone else please," Ronny said.

"Why did you ask them to?" Someone else asked.

Ronny grinned, "Ami, it's been a while." She took a deep breath, trying to find a good way to spin it.

"Ronny, Will," Dax said, "Mack says it's time to go."

"I'm afraid there will be no more questions," Ronny said promptly with a bright smile. "Keep safe, everyone." Turning, she strode quickly up the hill, Will just behind her.

The SHARK was already parked near Stonehenge, instead of where they'd left it. "They packed up quick," Will commented.

"They probably had help," Ronny replied.

The older rangers were sitting in the cargo area, in the fold down seats the team jokingly called the suicide seats for their lack of full safety harnesses. "Nice job," the black ranger said.

Ronny shrugged, "I'm used to it."

"Pay attention," Will added as they headed into the cockpit, "that's the only time you will ever see Ronny Robinson act modest."

"Bite me Will," Ronny replied, "Move it, Tyzonne, I'm flying."

They radioed ahead to warn Mr. Hartford and Spencer of their unexpected allies, to which Mr. Hartford promptly offered them all rooms in the mansion until the crisis was over.

/...\\

After introductions were made, and Dax finished being somewhat star struck at meeting Adam, a somewhat well known, retired stunt double, Ronny found herself between a rock and a hard place. Kira, the yellow ranger, had been watching her since they'd got to the mansion and clearly wanted to talk to her. On the other hand, she had no doubt that her brother and father had both seen the awkward press conference and would want details of their own.

Ronny decided to chose the easiest route first; she called Victor, curled up on her bed with the door shut and locked.

"What is going on?" Victor asked when he answered the phone, "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Ronny replied, "I promise."

"What happened?" Victor asked. "Why didn't you morph today? Who were those other Rangers?"

"Vic!" Ronny snapped, "Calm down, I'll explain." She paused, but Victor didn't speak. "What happened is this; remember that new leader that showed up? With the staff?"

"The one who knocked you out of morph?" Victor asked dryly.

"Him," Ronny agreed, "his name is Thrax, and he claims he's the son of Rita and Zedd."

Victor whistled.

"I know, right?" Ronny said, "Thrax did something. I don't know how he did it, but he not only broke our morphers, he's damaged their connection to the Grid. We can't morph right now. The other Rangers were brought in as back up, until we get the morphers fixed."

"Ronny, do you think it will take long?" Victor asked.

"I don't know," Ronny replied, "What's wrong Vic?"

"I just got off the phone with Frank Lund, the VP from Richard Oils," Victor said. Ronny closed her eyes, Richard Oils was a big sponsor for the team, and they had been reluctant to stay when she'd become a Ranger. "If you aren't either racing or fighting soon, I think they'll pull out," Victor said quietly. "I've had a few other rumbles this week about that, too."

Ronny muttered in Italian, "I'm sure this will work out," she said. "We just need a little time."

"I don't know how much you're going to get." Victor replied.

"Me either." Ronny whispered.

/...\\

Kira cornered Ronny after breakfast the next day, "Are you ok?" Kira asked quietly.

Ronny smiled at her, "I'm fine, Kira."

Kira snorted, "You know, when the Sentinel came looking for backup, I volunteered for a reason."

"What do you mean?" Ronny asked.

"I'm a yellow ranger, same as you are. I'm a Healer, I specialize in soul healing. You just had your powers ripped away from you through no fault of your own. Besides, Rangers are not allowed to use the phrase 'fine' as an indicator of emotional, physical, or mental well being."

"We aren't?" Ronny asked.

"Because fine means, 'I'm hurt but I can't admit it'. Fine means 'I'm bleeding inside and I can't stop it'. Fine means 'I'm slitting my wrists with a razor because I can't cope.' Fine is no longer a part of Ranger vocabulary."

Ronny stepped back, surprised. Kira wasn't very tall, or imposing, she'd thought, not until this moment, when sheer personality and vehement words pushed Ronny back a step. "Try again," Kira said, "Are you ok?"

Ronny stared at Kira for a moment, "I don't know," she admitted finally. "I don't know how I feel about not having my powers. I don't have time for that."

"Time?" Kira repeated.

"I run a business," Ronny replied, "you've probably heard of me, Veronica 'Ronny' Robinson, daughter of Robinson Racing driver George Robinson. I'm a championship driver, and I run a team called VR Racing. My brother's handling the books for me, and the other drivers on the team are racing, but it's all in my name. I won the races, handled the press, found the mechanics, and the drivers, and I contracted with my sponsors. When I became a Ranger, Victor, my brother, and I managed to keep our sponsors by selling them on my name attached to being a Power Ranger."

Ronny took a deep breath, "After the fight at Stonehenge, I'm on the verge of losing sponsors. One of them has stated if I'm not back racing or a ranger in a couple of days, they'll walk. Others have made similar hints but haven't been so blunt. I have to call my father today and he's going to be on my case about the whole thing, not to mention how badly I handled the media at Stonehenge. I can't think about what Thrax did, because I know I'm going to end up curled in a little ball, sobbing my eyes out. I have to keep my team together, I have to convince my sponsors that I'm worth keeping around, and I have to do it today. Excuse me for putting off my emotional breakdown in favor of taking care of the people I'm responsible for."

Apparently, Ronny had more to say than she'd expected.

"Ronny," Spencer said, coming in with the phone, "it's Mister Robinson."

"Excuse me," Ronny said, "I have to take this. Thank you Spencer."

Ronny took the phone and lifted it to her ear, "Hello?" She said.

"Are you a Power Ranger or aren't you?" George Robinson demanded.

"I am a Power Ranger," Ronny replied as she headed out of the living room where Kira had cornered her.

"Then why did I see you on television getting your butt kicked unmorphed?" George replied, "Your sponsors aren't going to stick around if that's what being a Power Ranger is about. They back winners, Veronica."

"I know Dad," Ronny replied, "We're just having a spot of trouble, that's all."

"Trouble? Trouble? What kind of trouble is so bad that you're being replaced?"

"I'm not being replaced," Ronny replied.

"That's not what I saw on TV. What I saw was your team getting their collective asses handed to them then getting rescued by other Rangers," George replied.

"Dad," Ronny began.

"Ronny," George said, "I haven't said much about this Ranger thing because it was clearly important to you. I'm speaking up now because I have to. You need to realize that you aren't the only one depending on those battles. You start losing and it's just like in racing, the sponsors will walk. Your team needs the money those sponsors bring in."

"You think I don't know that?" Ronny burst out, "Dad, I know all of that. I'm working on it."

"Fine," George replied after a long moment, "here's my advice, Ronny. If you aren't back in the suit and fighting before the week is out, you should think about driving again. Win some races, and your sponsors will stick around. People are counting on you."

/...\\

Perhaps it was inevitable for all of them to drift together after dinner. They gathered in the living room with drinks a few days later. "So," Mack said after a moment, "why did you all agree to come?"

Adam raised his eyebrow at Mack as he drank his coffee. "Because you needed us," Tori began.

"Because I was worried," Kira interrupted Tori. "I wasn't sure how well you would handle losing the power, or that battle with Thrax. Doctor O said that Ronny wasn't a Soul or a Mind Healer, so I came to see if I could help."

Adam lifted a single shoulder, "I've fought Rita and Zedd at their worst. You would have needed someone from our group up here to handle Thrax because we know Rita and Zedd and can extrapolate what Thrax could know or be able to do." He set his cup down on the table beside him, "Zedd destroyed our powers twice, actually. The first time we were able to convert the coins into channeling the ninja powers, the second time we had to quest for the Zeo Powers, and I changed colors to green that time."

Tori coughed, "I came because Kira and the Sentinel asked me to. You needed help, what was I supposed to do, say let the world burn?"

Xander nodded, "I think the Sentinel Knight thought I could help restore the morphers after what my team went through, but I can't."

"What happened?" Dax asked.

"Chip and Udonna say it was a spell," Xander replied, "but they've never been able to prove it. We were tired of fighting, and we started to think of magic as the answer to everything. When we ran into a tough monster, we convinced Daggeron, our Knight Master, to use his genii in the fight. Jenji was capture by our enemies."

"Wait, you had a genii?" Rose asked.

"Long story," Xander said shortly, "and he's our friend. Anyway, our enemies used Jenji to wish away our magic. Since our power and our magic are so closely intertwined, we lost both. To get our power back, we journeyed to the Tribunal of Magic. They heard our request, and denied us."

"But," Mack began, and then flinched, "sorry."

"It's ok, mate," Xander said easily. "We went back to Briarwood and we agreed powers or no powers, we could still fight."

"That sounds familiar," Ronny muttered.

"I think we've all had that moment," Kira said, she glanced at Tori, "What was it Shane said? We may not be Power Rangers anymore."

"But we still have power," Tori finished.

"How did you get your power back?" Bridge asked suddenly from his spot on the floor. Bridge was the odd man out if any of them were. From a future he couldn't really talk about, Bridge tended to avoid the others when he could, and given Adam's cold reception of the SPD Ranger, it wasn't that surprising.

"We proved ourselves," Xander replied, "because we fought. We did what was right, even though we weren't Mystics or Rangers. The Tribunal granted our powers, reversed the spell, and then gave us our Legend powers."

"You know, we didn't have those power ups when we fought Rita and Zedd," Adam offered.

Kira laughed, "Not true, I've seen the footage."

"Tell," Tori said, "he's blushing."

"Doctor O didn't know I saw it," Kira said, "but it's under this file, 'Metallic Armor'. I was curious, especially since Doctor O was complaining about all the power ups going around."

"Kira," Adam said firmly, "we don't talk about the Metallic Armor."

"You don't," Kira agreed, "anyone would be embarrassed to admit that their upgraded armor looks like glitter covered spandex, I don't blame you at all."

Adam slumped down in his seat as the others howled. "Actually," Bridge said as they calmed down, "in terms of power, the Metallic Armor is actually one of the strongest, and it's more streamlined appearance made it easier to utilize in battle. The same equations were used in the SPD SWAT power ups rather than the more bulky styles adapted by later teams. It may look like glitter covered spandex, but I'd take that over Super Dino Mode when I go toe to toe with a Master Villain."

"Huh," Adam said.

Bridge turned towards Ronny's team. "Don't worry; you'll get your power back. I know you want it back now, but it will take just a little more time."

Time.

Ronny stood up, "I need to check in with Victor," she said and headed for her room.

Rose found her there, with Tyzonne just behind. "Are you ok?" Rose asked quietly.

"No," Ronny replied, "I'm not. Rose, I may have to leave."

"Why?" Rose asked as Tyzonne closed the door.

"Since Thrax," Ronny stopped and took an unsteady breath, "Since Thrax, my racing team has lost five sponsors. Five, Rose. We were managing with what we had, but five? If something doesn't happen, I have to go. These people, my racing team, they depend on me for their livelihood. They signed contracts and I swore that they wouldn't regret it. If I go back, if I run a few races, I can get interest drummed up. Hartford promised he'd pay sponsorship, and I'll call that marker in. I know a few others who would help."

"Ronny," Rose said.

"I'd come back," Ronny replied, "as soon as they got the morphers fixed, I'd come back, but I have to go."

"Ronny," Tyzonne said.

"There isn't another answer," Ronny continued, "Victor isn't a big name in racing, he's, he's barely even worth mentioning even if he's good and Michele and Sarah aren't there yet either. I've got the name recognition, and the cachet of the Rangers to draw in some sponsors."

"Can you go back?" Tyzonne said, "Off planet, Rangers are not allowed to compete with civilians because of their enhanced state."

Ronny shook her head, "There's no ruling against it. I guess if someone wants to make a fuss, but Tyzonne, I can't not do this."

Someone knocked on the door and they stilled, "Ronny?" Dax called, "It's me and Mack."

"That's Mack and I," Will corrected him pointedly, "and Will, for the record."

"Come in," Ronny said.

It was crowded with six people, so Ronny crawled on the bed, and Rose sat beside her. "What's going on?" Mack asked.

"If we don't get those morphers fixed now," Ronny said, "I have to go. My racing team is in trouble and I'm the only one who can fix it."

"If you're going, I'm going," Dax said. "I'm getting tired of being ignored or condescended to because I'm not book smart."

The rangers exchanged glances, "Dax," Mack began.

"Not you guys," Dax said, "you accept me. I just don't want to have to prove myself to them if they can't be bothered to notice me."

Ronny bit her lip, she'd seen the other Rangers roll their eyes a few times when Dax said something, but she hadn't realized how it was affecting Dax. She'd rolled her eyes at the blue ranger more than a few times, but she'd never actually ignored Dax's insight.

"Where will you go?" Will asked.

"There's a TV show filming just north of here," Dax replied, "I know the guy handling the stuntmen and they need someone to fill in for a few weeks. He said if I wasn't here, he'd give me a shot."

"I've had some offers of security work," Will said, "just in the area, Mack. It would let me get away from them."

"They are arrogant," Tyzonne admitted. "I too have been asked to do something. Two of Earth's Silvers wish to meet with me."

"The university in Turtle Cove asked me if I'd consider doing a lecture series," Rose admitted, "I haven't turned them down yet."

"And I'll stay here," Mack sighed.

"If you stay," Ronny said, "you'll be in a position to call us back in. You'll know everything they do and when the morphers are ready, we can come back."

They looked at each other, and Ronny knew no matter what happened when she went back to her racing team, it wasn't going to be permanent. She would work her contacts and give Michele and Sarah the team. The girls were dedicated drivers and the men experienced. It would be her final gift to the sport she'd loved.

"We'll talk to Dad tomorrow," Mack said finally.

/...\\

Ronny shouldn't have been surprise that Kira found her as she was packing, "You're leaving?" The other yellow asked.

"I have some business to take care of," Ronny replied. "I can't do anything here, Kira. Not until the morphers are fixed."

"Rangering," Kira began.

"Kira, I can't morph," Ronny spun, "I can't fight like you guys do, I can't handle a Zord properly. I don't know a damn thing about fixing the morphers. I can fix a car, but a morpher? Not in my job experience. I can fix what's wrong with my team, so I'm going. I'll fix the problem and I'll come back. Unlike you, this is a job for me, there was a contract, and I get paid. I also get time off."

"You can't give up," Kira said.

"I'm not; my God do you listen to yourself?" Ronny demanded, "You act like the fact that I have a life outside of being a Ranger is the end of the world. You were in high school. I race." She snarled at Kira, who shut her mouth in surprise, "Racing isn't just a sport, Kira. It's a business. Each team rises or falls based on the success of the drivers. It's how you get sponsors, pay your bills, and keep your name in the press. I've been the face of a team since I was eighteen years old and I've been signing autographs since I won my first race. Excuse me for being famous for hard work and God given talent." She paused, "Not that it's any of your business."

Turning, Ronny shut the suitcase and zipped it tight. "I'll be back when the morphers are fixed, Kira, maybe even before. Stay safe."

/...\\

Victor picked her up at the airport, "I'm going to shut the team down," Ronny told him.

"What?" Victor asked.

"I'm not coming back for good," Ronny replied, "Even when we win. Being a Ranger, I get the feeling we're going to be needed."

"What about the girls?" Victor asked.

"I'll come back for a bit, transition VR Racing over to them. I hope you can find them someone good at finances so you can get on with your life. Hartford swore he'd sponsor the girls as long as they wanted to race if they needed it."

"All right," Victor replied, "I'll get things started."

"That's provided that I can keep things together long enough to win," Ronny replied.

/...\\

They got their powers back, and defeated Thrax, and not too soon, Ronny thought as the victory celebration wound down. The group was settled into the living room, beginning to feel their bruises and the drain of a major fight when Bridge stood up, "May I have your attention please," he said quietly.

"What's up?" Mack asked.

Bridge sighed, "I know, Adam, it hasn't been easy for you to deal with me being from SPD. Especially since I couldn't say anything." He glanced at the clock on the wall, "but I was sent here to fulfill a mission. I was one of three who could fulfill all the mission parameters and fit the few fuzzy images saved by the press. Of the other two, one of them might excel in the technical aspects of this mission; he would never have managed a morpher. The third," Bridge paused again, "it was believed that the attitude portrayed towards SPD in this time period, particularly by Zordon's Rangers, would be more emotionally scarring. By now, I'm sure you suspect, Adam, and it's true. I'm not a Red Ranger. I'm a Green Ranger. Since this mission would require a Red, I was issued a Red Cadet Morpher." He glanced at the clock and then over his shoulder.

Ronny glanced behind him and frowned. There were sparks of gold and green light appearing in the air.

"That being said," Bridge continued, "I have a message for the Elder Red. Please tell him that Grumm is defeated at SPD Earth, that the Children of Time will hold the key to victory, and the greatest battle cry will be a single whisper, what color is the sky?"

The sparks flared out into a twisting vortex, fluctuated in and out, then stabilized into a wormhole. Ronny, ducking behind the couch, could see some sort of lab on the other side. The wormhole flared and then a young man stepped through and waved a device around. "Bridge," he said, "time to go."

"Yeah," Bridge said, "I'm ready." He waved, "Bye guys, I'll see you in the future."

"Bridge," Adam began.

"We don't have time, Dad," the young man said and flinched.

"What?" Adam snapped.

"Seriously, Jinx," Bridge replied, "I was handling this."

"Who are you?" Adam demanded.

"I'm Antonio's Jinx," the young man replied. "I think that will make sense by now."

Adam nodded stiffly, "It does."

"Just call this a personal note," Jinx replied, "Dad, Adam, really, no matter what I say. When I'm fourteen, the thing that I want more than anything is an old fashioned, heavy, sturdy microscope. The kind you have to be careful to carry around 'cause if you drop it, you could break your foot."

"Seriously?" Adam asked.

"It sounds stupid, but it's a matter of life and death," Jinx replied. "Let's go Bridge, before my lady decides that I really do need a skirt on my uniform if I get activated."

Bridge waved again and stepped through the wormhole, followed by Jinx.

"What just happened?" Xander asked.

"Bridge went back to the future," Dax replied, "and he was taken by someone who claimed to be Adam's son who wanted to request a Christmas present."

"He was," Adam replied, "his name is actually Julian, but my adopted son, Tony, calls him Jinx, or Antonio's Jinx, because whenever the two of them are in the same room, Tony tends to be exceptionally clumsy. But, Jinx is a baby."

"I would have said he was seventeen, maybe eighteen," Ronny mused. She grinned a little, "I know what Santa is bringing Jinx when he's fourteen."

"What?" Adam asked.

"The kid risked a paradox to ask for it," Tori mused, "I'd give it to him. He didn't seem like the type to use life or death lightly."

"What I want to know," Will said, "is why he was concerned about a skirt."

"Julian will be a Pink," Adam replied absently, "when he's ready for a morpher." Looking at the Rangers staring at him, Adam frowned, "Pink just means he's going to be caring, kind, and compassionate. I don't think there's a damn thing wrong with that."

"Neither do I," Rose replied firmly.


	60. Speed 6

A/N: Thanks Tatooted Librarian, as always. When I was writing this, I realized that I was trying to shove Ronny into a role she didn't want. (Like certain Ranger mentors who shall remain nameless). I hope the last few chapters will come out as smoothly as this one did. We're almost done though. (Minor edit regarding the location of the Author's Note not a new chapter sorry)

* * *

After Moltor and the Fear Cats tried to drain her strength, Ronny thought the teasing about her and Will would never end. Just because she had slightly softened towards the Black Ranger, the team seemed to take that as carte blanche to tease them about their 'crushes'. Then something happened to take everyone's mind off of her and Will.

They learned that Mack was an android.

Of them all, Dax handled it best. Ronny had spent a lot of time studying their occasionally clueless Blue Ranger, and she'd come to realize that Dax compared life to the movies as a way to cope. When he couldn't understand something, or it overwhelmed him, he found a movie reference to frame it in. She didn't think it was healthy, but after he commented that it reminded him of some B-rated robot film in which he'd played a small part as a stunt double that was it. Dax had been more concerned about some picture Mack had showed him than the fact that Mack was two years old.

Tyzonne had seemed more disturbed than upset, but Ronny decided, after thinking about it, that the Silver Ranger had been more surprised than anything. Given where Tyzonne came from, lifelike androids were probably a lot more common than on Earth, and the fact that not only was Mack an android, but an Earth built android that Tyzonne hadn't figured out was the source of any conflict.

Of course, Ronny was a bit upset that Tyzonne had fallen for the same 'primitive Earth' reputation that so many others did. It was, she privately felt, one of the reasons that Earth was so good at defending themselves. Even fifteen years of Ranger victories had been hard pressed to make a dent in the prevailing perception of Earth being just steps above primitives that had barely discovered fire.

Will had backed off, but that was Will. Not only was he more inclined to step back when things got weird, but he was still a bit of a lone wolf. Ronny let him go, because Will was surprisingly self-aware for all that he acted otherwise, and when the Black Ranger was ready, he'd be there like nothing had changed. It wasn't like he'd desert the team on the battlefield or anything.

Spencer seemed upset at how Mack reacted to learning the truth, but Ronny figured that that was a breach that only Mack and Spencer could heal. As for Mister Hartford, well, Ronny had long since found the older man to be rather naïve in a way. He always seemed to be trying for 'wise mentor' and falling into a more manipulative route. His actions towards Mack had always been odd, more than overprotective, but like Geppetto, suddenly realizing that the puppet he'd created had a mind of its own and fumbling to do the best he could with the life he'd created.

As for herself, Ronny wasn't sure how she should react. She'd never understood why people thought knowing someone was gay made them different and decided that finding out that the cute, bold Red Ranger she'd trusted to lead them was an android would make no difference to her.

Rose and Mack himself were two different stories however. Rose had a not so secret crush on the Red Ranger and learning that her crush was an android seemed to throw her off guard. Mack, on the other hand, had been thrown into a moment of extreme doubt, constantly spouting off about being a program and not a human.

Ronny wasn't sure what she could say to Mack, so instead she tracked down Rose, who was in the underground tech lab working on some project. "Hey Rose," Ronny said, leaning against the doorframe.

"Hi Ronny," Rose said, "did you need something?"

"I was just checking in on you," Ronny replied. "You've been a little distant lately."

"I'm fine," Rose replied with a tentative smile.

"You know, Kira told me that Rangers weren't allowed to use 'fine' to indicate their state of being anymore," Ronny said as she sat down on one of the stools in the lab. "I think something bad happened because she was really upset about it."

Rose nodded, "I'm a little unsettled," she said finally. "I mean, Mack's a robot, how am I supposed to deal with that?"

Ronny eyed her friend for a moment, "The fact that you really want to get up close and personal with his programming probably doesn't help either does it?"

Rose's head jerked up and she stared at Ronny, "I- I-, of course not! Mack's our friend, I wouldn't be so crass." Ronny eyed her for a moment, keeping her smile away by force of will. Rose's shoulders slumped, "Maybe a little."

Ronny laughed, "You're a scientist Rose, you're curious like a cat. Besides, you already know how to think of him, he's our friend. What else matters?"

Rose eyed her for a minute, "Are you ok, you've been acting a little off."

Ronny hesitated, then nodded, "Ever since the Fear Cats drained me, it's been, well, different."

Rose came over, "Different, how?"

"Something changed," Ronny said, "when my Power came back. It was like something shifted because of the energy drain. One minute, I'm trying to figure out how to be a Yellow and the next it just got, easier. I mean Kira talked about Soul Healers and Body Healers, but that's not what I am."

"What about a mind Healer?" Rose suggested, "That's the common third side, body, mind and soul."

Ronny nodded, "Maybe." She eyed Rose, "But we're talking about you, Rose. We've all had a nasty shock lately and I wanted to make sure you were handling it all right."

Rose frowned for a moment, "I'm confused, Ronny. There are so many different emotions; I just don't know how to react. You don't seem bothered by it."

"I've never understood why people treat someone different when they learn that they're gay. I don't see this any differently. I'm not going to change how I treat Mack just because he's different that we originally assumed."

"Really?"

Ronny turned to find Mack standing in the door. "Hi Mack," Ronny said with a little smile, "and yes, really. You're still Mackenzie Hartford, you great lump. Whatever's inside of you doesn't change the fact that you are brave to the point of reckless and your heart is bigger than anyone else I know."

"I don't have a heart," Mack retorted.

"You could have fooled me, the way you're acting."

"It's a computer chip," Mack replied, "activated by a subroutine."

"Sounds like the human brain to me," Ronny said as she stood up, "not that I'm an expert, but our emotions are activated by electrical and hormonal impulses that might as well be a subroutine. Besides, we accepted Tyzonne."

"Tyzonne," Mack began.

"Isn't even remotely human," Ronny said, "although he's alive, he's a thinking being with free will. He just happens to turn into a puddle of mercury at inconvenient times. You are also alive, you think, you feel, and you've defied Mister Hartford. How else could you have become the Red Ranger, remember?"

Mack stared at her for a long moment then he turned and stalked away.

"Men," Ronny announced, pivoting to Rose, "arrogant, stubborn, pig headed, moronic idiots, the lot of them."

Rose chuckled.

"I mean, what was that, I have no feelings. He was gearing for a good temper tantrum, I promise you that."

"You really think so?" Rose asked.

"He was, and if that isn't emotion then I don't know what is. Furthermore, the more we act normal around him the faster he'll calm down about it all."

"Ok," Rose replied, "I think I can do that."

Ronny reached out and rested her hand on Rose's shoulder, "You will."


	61. Speed 7

A/N: Thanks Tatooted Librarian, as always. I regret to inform you that this is the end of Speed. It was a fun, but difficult, run. Next up is Dance! There might be a slight delay with Dance, as I am watching Jungle Fury for inspiration before I write some of the chapters, but I think I have my Lily's background mostly worked out.

* * *

Ronny tugged her shirt straight and took a deep breath. "You look fine," Victor told her, "very professional."

Ronny smiled, "Thanks Vic. Are they ready?"

"Not quite," Victor replied, "are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm positive," Ronny said firmly. She reached up to smooth back her hair and then tugged her shirt again. "Are the others here?"

"The Rangers are in the conference room, as you asked, and the drivers are waiting in the hall." Victor confirmed.

There was a knock on the door and Sarah stuck her head in, "Ronny, everyone's here. It's time."

"Ok," Ronny said and took a deep breath. Then she stepped forward, smiling at Sarah as the other driver stepped back. "Let's do this."

Two weeks ago, the Overdrive Rangers had held a press conference on their victory. The others had headed off to seek out new dreams, but Ronny had known even before she'd left that she wasn't going back to racing for long.

Today, Ronny entered the promenade of the raceway she had won her first race and faced off against the sports reporters who had gathered at her request. Victor, Sarah, and Michele followed her behind the podium and the three took seats. Ronny stepped up to the podium and looked at the gathered crowd. "Good afternoon," she said, "thank you all for coming today. It's been a crazy year, between trying to keep VR Racing strong and being a Power Ranger, there were days I didn't know if I was coming or going. I learned a great deal about myself and our world this past year, and the Universe we are a part of. One thing I learned from Tyzonne, our Silver Ranger, was that out there Rangers aren't considered eligible for sports competitions. Rangers have improved reflexes, strength and abilities that can make them an unequal competitor. Because of that, I have chosen to voluntarily retire from the sport of racing. I intend to help VR Racing transition to a joint ownership between Michele Sabre and Sarah Carmichael for as long as they chose to drive, and then I will be accepting a place at Lightspeed Rescue as part of their work with Rangers. Thank you for your attention, have a good evening." Ronny smiled at the group, turned and walked away, heading to the conference room where her team was waiting.

Just as she reached the elevator, her cell phone rang. "Hi Dad," Ronny said.

"What the hell was that Veronica?" George Robinson demanded.

"That was me doing the right thing," Ronny replied firmly. "I don't want to race any more. I'm not going to. Michele and Sarah have a future in the sport if they want it, I've done what I could and it's their turn to figure things out. They are good drivers, what they need is experience and a good crew. The VR crew is staying on with them, so all they have to do is drive. I'll still be a part of things, as will Victor, until they have it under control. Not to mention Victor is finding a financial advisor for them that will be able to come aboard almost exclusively."

"You're quitting," George began.

"I've been thinking about it since before I became a Ranger," Ronny replied. "As much as I love racing, I'm just a little tired of the scrutiny. I'm still going to be in the public eye and a role model, but people won't automatically assume I'm pregnant when I want a break or vacation. I'm tired of the atmosphere, of having to be a 'woman in a man's world'. Rangers aren't like that and I'm happy. Mack and the others, they are so much more than just a 'team'. They are my extended family more than anyone I've ever known."

"Veronica," George said, "if you're sure that you want this, and then I'll support you. I'm not going to stop worrying about you though. Here's your mother."

"You finally decided to stop racing," Amanda said.

"Hi Mom, how are you?" Ronny asked as the elevator doors opened.

"I'm well, honey, and you?" Amanda said.

"I'm good. I realized that as much as I love racing, there are other things I'd prefer to do in my life." Ronny said as she opened the door to the conference room. "Besides, I thought you'd be happy that I wasn't racing anymore."

"But, you're going to be a Power Ranger," Amanda said, "isn't that just as dangerous?"

"Not really," Ronny said and waved her hand at her teammates, "we've won. While Overdrive will technically be the front line team until a new team shows up, we aren't going to be fighting alone. There are so many Rangers doing so many things, and my work at Lightspeed won't be about fighting either. I'm going to be helping with their mechanics department, vehicles and such."

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Amanda asked.

"Positive," Ronny said firmly.

"Then call us more, you no longer have the 'I live in Italy' excuse, and I expect you home for more holidays than just Christmas this year." Amanda said.

Ronny laughed, "I will, Mom. I promise. I'll call you later, ok? I love you."

"Love you to, Ronny," Amanda said fondly.

Ronny ended the call and looked at her teammates, "So," she said and held her hands out, "surprise?"

"You are my kind of crazy," Will replied.

"I know you said you were going to do this," Rose replied, "but this was not what I expected."

"At least this way, if something happens, I'll be in the same timezone as everyone else," Ronny replied.

"That doesn't matter," Mack replied, "if you're going to be happy, then we'll be happier for you."

"I think I'm going to be very happy," Ronny replied with a big smile.


	62. Dance 1

A/N: Welcome to the final arc of The Power of Friends: Dance. This is the story of Lily and the Jungle Fury Rangers. As with OO, I don't know much about JF other than the characters and some vague characterizations. In light of that, I've opted to simply just write the story I feel I should. As always, thanks Librarian for the beta!

* * *

As far as days go, Lily was pretty sure that this one counted as a good day. Yes, she'd lost mentor, and had been sent away from Pai Zhuq, but she become a Power Ranger, a Yellow Ranger, and that made it a great day. At the moment, the only thing that Lily could say was bad about being a ranger was that she wasn't entirely comfortable was the so-called 'growing technique'. What bothered her about it was the telepathy that synchronized her body and mind was her teammates. It was a bit weird, because Casey was a cub, and she'd never met him before today. Theo, of course, was her best friend and he had been even more excited about becoming a Power Ranger.

As Lily lay on the twin bed that RJ had made up for her that night, she found that sleep eluded her. She kept thinking back to when they had become the Jungle Pride Megazord. It had been exhilarating but creepy. As the full moon cleared the neighboring building and its silvery beams flowed into the small guest room, Lily gave up on sleep. Instead she headed out to the small kitchen over the loft, as she climbed the stairs she realized that there was somebody already there.

"Hey Lily."

Lily blinked, "Who's there?"

"Casey," Casey replied.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I couldn't see clearly, I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I wouldn't expect you to recognize my voice, given how long we've known each other. Couldn't sleep?"

"Yes," Lily said as she headed for the fridge, "just a lot on my mind I guess. It was an exciting day after all." She opened the door to the fridge, and blinked against the light as she studied its contents.

"Want to talk about it?" Casey asked, there was a soft thud as he boosted himself onto the counter. "I was going to make hot chocolate anyways, if you want some. RJ has some organic cocoa and soy milk, which tastes better warm than you might think."

Lily closed the fridge, "I'm willing to experiment. As to my restless thoughts, just the stuff that happened today is all. The Megazord was exceptionally weird I think."

"You mean how we could sort of but not really a read each other's minds?" Casey asked. He jumped down from the cabinet and flicked on a small light. "That was really weird, but I just had a tiger in my head, looking for the jungle."

"What, what do you mean by that?" Lily asked.

"It was just a weird dream," Casey said as he pulled a canister out of the cabinet and put it on the counter. "I think that maybe I got 20 minutes of sleep, and I'm not ready to go back."

Lily leaned against the counter, "It's not that surprising that you had a weird dream. I think we all did when we started to consciously channel our animal spirits. I mean, Cheddar has been around for a long time, but when I got the Academy, and I learned it deliberately, I was always dreaming about trees. Cheddar was always climbing trees when I was a kid."

"Who is Cheddar?" Casey asked. He knelt down to rummage under the stove, and came up with a saucepan.

"Cheddar is what I used to call my imaginary friend when I was a child. She was a translucent, yellow cheetah. Her spots look like holes, and I liked cheese, thus I called her Cheddar. I later learned that she was in fact my spirit animal."

"Are we having a party and I didn't know?" RJ asked as he came up the stairs.

"Not exactly," Casey said, "I had some weird dreams, and Lily couldn't sleep, and thus hot chocolate. Do you want some?"

"Do you know what are doing?" Theo asked as he followed RJ.

"Of course, I know my way around a stove." Casey opened the refrigerator and pulled out a carton and headed for the stove. "You don't mind, do you RJ?"

"I would only mind if you poisoned us," RJ replied as he turned on the larger kitchen light.

"Are you OK Theo?" Lily asked.

"I'm fine," Theo replied, "just a lot to think about."

Lily wondered if that was the same for all of them, she watched as RJ hovered over Casey and the hot chocolate. Theo sat down at the table, propped his head up with one hand, and watched the two with a little smile. Lily knew that Theo would deny enjoying the warmth that she could feel with all of them there.

The hot chocolate was as good as Casey had suggested it, although he had laughingly protested their compliments. After all the chocolate had been finished, the four drifted down to the half-court. RJ headed for his chair, but Casey led Theo and Lily over to a stack of gym mats where they were able to get comfortable, and see RJ's TV set. As some really bad late night programming created a background noise, Lily leaned into Casey's warm shoulder and soon fell asleep.

JFDJFD

The next morning, Lily woke up warm. She was curled up with her head on Casey's chest and someone had covered her with a yellow blanket. Casey was partly covered by a red blanket. Theo, however, was gone. As Lily sat up, she saw Theo and RJ in the kitchen, Theo was leaning against the railing and RJ was waving a spoon as he moved around.

Lily stood up and folded her blanket before adding it to the neatly folded blue blanket at the end of the mats, and then she headed upstairs. "Good morning," she said as she entered the kitchen. "What are we doing today?"

"We are going to be training," RJ replied, "if you're going to help me run JKP, then there are things you need to learn."

"You know," Casey said as he came into the kitchen, "I have worked at a pizza parlor before. I worked at a local one before I came to the Academy. I mean your recipes are different, but pizza doesn't change much in its basics."

"That could be a good thing," RJ told him, "it depends on what you were taught. I do prefer that you at least pay attention during training so that if something is different you'll know."

"All right," Casey grinned at RJ, "I think I can do that."

"What about Dai Shi?" Theo asked.

"After your orientation, we'll do some training to see what you know. You all have different training from the Academy, being a Ranger is more than what the Academy taught you." RJ replied, he gave Theo a long look. "If you expect things here to be just like the Academy, you will be severely disappointed."

"Come on Theo," Lily said, slinging her arm over her friend's shoulders, "it'll be ok."

"Go with the differences," RJ added as he headed for the pizza kitchen, "and grow with the differences. I expect all of you down here in half an hour."

Lily pulled Theo into a quick hug, "I need a shower," she said, "I'll see you guys in a bit."

"Right," Theo muttered "I don't suppose there's something to eat?" He asked Casey as Lily skipped back down stairs.

Whatever Casey would have replied, Lily didn't hear as she entered the hall that led to the four bedrooms and the bathroom. Lily had lucked out in actually having a bed in her room, RJ had said it was for someone else, but that they wouldn't begrudge her a place to sleep. Casey and Theo had been given inflated mattresses and sleeping bags, which RJ promised would be replaced soon. He'd also said that they could decorate their rooms if they wanted as well.

As Lily showered, she reflected on the day before. When they had arrived at Ocean Bluff, Casey had insisted that they put their backpacks in the bus station rental lockers so that they didn't have to drag them all over the city looking for their new master. He'd also managed to retrieve the three bags while Theo and Lily were lingering over one of RJ's master class pizzas. They hadn't even noticed he'd left until he was coming back in the front door.

Casey was, Lily thought, an interesting young man. He was one of the oldest cubs she'd ever seen, most of the students joined the Academy as pre-teens, or even younger in Theo's case. For Casey to already be eighteen made him a bit of a three day wonder. Lily hadn't really paid attention to the gossip lately, she'd been more focused on the way their teachers had suddenly increased their practice time, and had been pushing all of them towards some unspecified goal. Even Master Mao had become harder on them in his way, more demanding of perfection, pushing them as no one else would.

As Lily headed into the parlor kitchen, she heard someone laughing in the kitchen. As she came down the stairs, she found that not only were Theo and Casey waiting, but Fran had arrived, along with a Hispanic boy who was clearly younger than the other two. "Lily," RJ said with a bright smile, "I want you to meet my other employee. This is Mike Ramos, he works here during the summer, and will be of great help to us. Mike, this is Lily, one of my new tenants."

"Hi," Mike said with a lazy grin. "I'm from off the coast. My mom sends me over in the summer to live with my aunt, to give me 'experience'."

"Nice to meet you," Lily said politely. "Hi Fran."

"Hi Lily," Fran said with a nervous smile.

"All right," RJ said, "Casey, Mike, and Fran, why don't you two make sure the front is set up properly. Theo, Lily, you'll start back here in the kitchen with me, and we'll switch you to the front later on."

"Sounds like a plan, sir," Mike said, he gestured back through the swinging door, "Set up isn't that hard."

Lily turned her attention to RJ, wondering just how they were supposed to keep things secret with not one, but two strangers in and around the pizza parlor all the time.


	63. Dance 2

A/N: So, timing for this is the second half of 'Dance The Night Away'. The first half is post Lily telling Casey and Theo off in the courtyard, pre defeating the bad guys. The second half is after the episode ends. Special thanks to Tattoed Librarian, my Beta, and to WWMTgirl for listening to me talk about this chapter while I wrote it, and who indulged my thirty-seven wild ideas and wtf moments.

* * *

Lily stormed out of the JKP courtyard with a snarl, letting the door to the restaurant slam behind her as she did. "Hey, what's wrong?" Mike asked.

"You wouldn't understand," Lily said.

"Are you sure?" Mike asked, he put down the towel he'd been using to wipe down tables and crossed his arms, "I'm not part of your group, but I do have a pretty good set of ears."

"You're a boy," Lily said, "it's girl problems."

Mike scoffed, "I have sisters and female cousins, the only other boy is ten years younger than I am. I've been a listening ear for all kinds of girl problems." He uncrossed his arms and held up a single finger, "Although, from what I could understand of the yelling, it sounds more like you've got friend problems."

"You were eavesdropping?" Lily asked. She could hear her voice taking on a hint of a shriek and winced internally.

"I dropped no eaves, Lily," Mike said, "I have the hearing of a bear."

Lily clenched her fists, then became aware that the customers were staring at them. "Whatever, I have things I need to do." She pivoted and stormed into the kitchen.

RJ looked up as she passed through, "Problems, Lily?"

"I cannot work with them," Lily said, "Not if they can't work with each other. I refuse to pick a side in their, their, their testosterone fest!"

"Calm down," RJ began.

"I am calm," Lily snarled, "I am as calm as I always am." A second snarl echoed in the kitchen, and Lily looked down in surprise. Cheddar stood beside her, crouching as if to spring. "When those two idiots get their heads out of their asses, let them know I'll be in the loft."

If RJ called after her, Lily didn't hear it.

Once she was in the loft, Lily knelt down and smiled at Cheddar, "What are you doing, crazy?" She asked quietly, hugging herself.

Cheddar made a soft chirping sound that echoed in Lily's mind and then winked out.

Lily shook her head and stood back up, "Are you ok?" Fran asked.

Lily looked up, surprised, "Hey Fran, I thought you were off today."

"Oh, I am, I just came to have lunch," Fran said, "and Mike said you were on the rampage so I thought I'd make sure you were ok."

"It's stupid," Lily replied, "Theo and I have known each other for years, he's my best friend, and now I'm making friends with Casey. Theo's being weird about that, and then Casey is reacting to that and refusing to just get along."

"Sounds frustrating," Fran said. She tilted her head a little, "I would say that Theo is threatened by you making new friends. Does he have many friends?"

"Not really," Lily said, thinking about what she knew. Theo's parents had split up and Theo had been shuffled between them until his entrance into the Academy. He hadn't been able to make friends that lasted until the Academy because of how his transient childhood. "I don't want to get into it though."

"That's all right," Fran replied, "it's just, I was reading this book, and they were talking about how threatened the main character's friend was when she made new friends, because the friend didn't have many friends herself. She was afraid that the main character wouldn't be her friend anymore."

"But that's stupid," Lily said, "and it's like I've told Theo. The bond between us is the kind of thing that lasts a lifetime. He's my best friend. I don't know what to do about Casey though."

"I don't know what to tell you," Fran replied.

"I'll try talking to him," Lily said, "there has to be some way to solve this."

"I know you will," Fran said.

Lily was starting to hate the growing technique. The synchronization they experienced when fighting in the Megazord still bothered her afterwards, and she wasn't sure why. Unable to sleep after the defeat of Scorpion Girl and Toad-Zilla, Lily wandered out into the living area of the loft.

"Can't sleep?"

Lily glanced up and found Casey sitting in RJ's chair, "He's going to hurt you," Lily replied and sat down beside the chair. "Are you ok?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Casey asked. "You've been upset lately."

Lily sighed, "I'm just frustrated. Why couldn't we have had another girl on the team? We're so much more sensible."

Casey hummed for a moment, "I don't know."

"What I don't know is why you are sitting in my chair," RJ announced.

Casey stood up, "Because it's the best view of the TV and I couldn't sleep."

Lily struggled to her feet as well, "Hi RJ," she said. "I did try to tell him."

"Having problems sleeping?" RJ asked, turning to Lily.

"Yeah," Lily said, "I'm not sure that I'll ever get used to the growing technique."

"You will," RJ said, "you are good at it when in the moment."

Lily smiled a little and turned to the little hallway as Cheddar appeared beside her, "Get him," she murmured.

Cheddar leaped forward and down the hall, and moments later there was a muffled thump. "Ow," Theo said. He appeared a moment later with Cheddar following him. "Lily, that hurt."

"You shouldn't have been eavesdropping," Lily replied. She ran her fingers over Cheddar's head before the cheetah vanished. When she looked up, Casey was watching her with his head tilted, "Sorry," she said, "I've had Cheddar manifest for me since I was a little girl. My parents always thought she was my imaginary friend."

"That's ok," Casey said with a shrug.

Lily reached out and threaded her fingers through Theo's hand, remembering their conversation over lunch, about Casey and themselves. At least Theo now knew where they stood with each other, so that should help keep his issues with Casey down.

"So Sis," Casey said, and slung his arm over Lily's shoulders, "is there something you and Theo want to tell us." He leaned over and looked pointedly down at their hands.

Lily glanced at Theo, who rolled his eyes. "Theo and I have agreed," Lily said, "that we are going to wait until after we're done with Dai Shi to formalize our relationship. Dai Shi is more important right now. Instead, we plan to just continue as we have begun, as best friends."

"That's great," Casey said, "but Theo, having adopted Lily as another sister, I should warn you. If you hurt her, I will kill you."

"Casey!" Lily yelped and shoved him away from her, "Why would you say that?"

Casey, having been caught by RJ, grinned at her, "I told you, if I'm your little brother, then I'll treat you like my sister. This isn't the first time I've threatened a boyfriend." He grinned at RJ, "Thanks for the catch, by the way."

"Not a problem," RJ said.

Casey tugged his t-shirt straight, "I want hot chocolate, anyone else?"

"Me please," Lily said, "and Theo."

"As would I," RJ said.

"Hot chocolate all around then," Casey said and headed for the stairs to the kitchen.

Lily leaned into Theo, "I'm glad you worked things out with Casey."

"That remains to be seen," Theo murmured, "but we made a start."


	64. Dance 3

A/N: Sorry about the delay guys, I was working on my original stories to put up on amazon. (You can find me over there as Jo Grix), and a few other things. I can't promise I will never get caught up in that sort of thing again, but I do intend to get all my WIPs finished at some point. (As well as finish the appropriate series.) This chapter of Dance is set post "One Master Too Many".

* * *

Lily grinned as she entered the main part of the loft. Casey was up in the kitchen and she could already smell the hot chocolate. "I don't know why I even bother going to bed," she commented as she climbed the stairs.

Casey grinned at her, "It's called hope, Lils, and it's something we should never let go of."

Lily shrugged and sat down at the table, "Speaking of hope, do you think you're a little too hopeful of RJ and Master Finn working everything out?"

Casey shrugged, "This is what I know, my parents and I don't talk anymore and that's partly my fault, but they don't email, call or write me either, even though I sent them my new contact info. If they came to see me tomorrow, I would hug them and be happy. If the next time I heard about them was when my sisters got married, I would be happy. As much as I want my parents to be a part of my life, I am not going to twist their arm. I want RJ and Master Finn to come to a similar conclusion about the kind of interaction that works best for them. Besides, Master Finn has agreed to teach me, that means he is going to be around, and I would like to discuss things with RJ without worrying about editing around who my teacher is."

Lily smiled, "You just want to talk to RJ, don't you."

Casey grinned at her as he pulled out two mugs, "Am I that obvious?"

"Not very," Lily said, "I was just making a guess."

Casey bowed his head, the tips of his ears turning red, "It's nothing big," he murmured and began pouring out the hot chocolate. "How are things going with you and Master Phant?"

"Good," Lily said, "now that he's decided he wants to have a student, he hasn't given me any trouble. He pushes me hard, and I've got some interesting bruises, but I'm getting better."

"I can tell," Casey said and handed her a mug. He glanced over the railing to the lower floor and turned back to the stove. "Theo's been doing well to, Master Swoop has really made a difference for him." He began to make another pot of chocolate. "I just, I really want to do well. I know I don't know as much about the Pai Zhuq that you and Theo do, and I don't want you to feel like you made a bad choice accepting me as the leader."

"You're a great leader Case," Lily said as she sipped her chocolate, "and I'm not saying that because you make the best hot chocolate I've ever had."

Casey chuckled and put out two more mugs. "All I can do is try, Lily."

"That's all anyone can do," Lily replied. She glanced towards the bedrooms and smiled, "Come on, Theo, your hot chocolate's about ready."

A moment later, Theo appeared on the stairs, "How did you know I was there?" He asked, accepting the mug that Casey offered him.

Lily grinned, "Look behind you, Theo."

Theo turned as Cheddar, glowing a soft yellow, paced past him to join Lily. "You shouldn't play around like that," Theo said.

"I didn't," Lily said, "I simply don't try to force Cheddar to stay within me at all times. She likes being out and about, I think it helps her protect me."

"Protect you?" Casey asked.

Lily smiled down at Cheddar, "I was invited to join Pai Zhuq two days after a bully tried to beat me up and Cheddar protected me. She's always been quick to defend me, you know, it's just that was the first time she'd done so physically."

"You mean you didn't go around knocking people over when you were a kid?" Theo asked dryly.

"I didn't know she could until that day," Lily replied, "besides, you deserve it, given how you always try to spy on me."

"I was not spying," Theo said, "I was coming out of my room when you called."

Lily frowned, "Then who."

"It was I," RJ said, "and I apologize. I was curious."

"It's ok," Casey said, handing RJ a mug.

"What are we talking about tonight then?" Theo asked as Casey took his seat.

"Stuff," Casey and Lily said promptly.

Lily giggled, "We'd just agreed to change the subject, actually. What do you want to talk about, Theo?"

Theo looked surprised to be offered the chance to pick the topic, "Um, I, uh," he said, then he turned to RJ, "Do you expect any more surprises like the Five Fingers will show up?"

"Dai Shi is a difficult opponent," RJ said finally, "I have been studying the last time we fought him, and it is possible. I do not know who he would revive next though."

"Is it just me," Lily said hesitantly, "but are the Rinshi getting stronger?"

"I think they are," Casey said after a moment, "but so are we. Not only are we learning new ways to fight, but we're able to do more on our own."

"Casey's right," Theo said, "I think that whatever Dai Shi tries, we'll be able to counter it."

Lily sipped her hot chocolate and watched as Theo and Casey talked about the war. It was nice to see how they had changed. Theo was starting embrace the idea of slowing down and doing one task at a time while Casey was learning to accept Theo's driven nature without trying to change him. They were a lot alike in that regard, except that Theo was driven about everything and Casey seemed more relaxed on the surface, but had his objectives that he pushed for.

RJ made a comment and Lily watched as Casey's ears went red. She stared at her mug for a moment, fighting her smile. RJ's jealousy had opened him up a little, and Lily thought that it would probably be better to let them develop naturally as opposed to forcing them to admit their feelings before they were ready.

"Lily," Theo said.

Lily looked up, "Yes?" She said.

"Are you ok?" Theo asked, "I was trying to ask you something."

"I was just lost in thought," Lily replied, "what did you want to know?"

"I was wondering if you would mind switching shifts tomorrow," Theo replied, "I didn't realize I had the afternoon shift and I promised Master Swoop I'd come for training tomorrow afternoon. You have the morning shift."

Lily considered it for a moment, just to see Theo sweat. "Why not?" She grinned at Theo, "I wouldn't mind a chance to sleep in tomorrow at all. Master Phant doesn't want to see me for another two days either."

"Thank you," Theo said, "I appreciate that."

Lily smiled, and reached over to squeeze Theo's hand, "You're welcome." She picked up her mug and drained it, "Speaking of sleeping in," she stood up, "I think I'm ready to get some sleep now."

"See you tomorrow," Casey said.

"Sleep well," RJ added.

"Night Lily," Theo said.

Lily smiled at her boys, "Good night." She put her mug in the sink with some water and headed back to her room. She had barely pulled the covers over her head before sleep claimed her.


	65. Dance 4

A/N: This is set after Friends don't Fade away. Enjoy!

* * *

Lily groaned and headed for the kitchen, "Why do I even bother?" She asked as she entered the darkened loft.

"Because you sometimes sleep well after a battle," Casey replied from the kitchen. Lily didn't need to look up to see him; she already knew that Casey would be leaning against the railing, watching her.

"Especially when they're physically draining," Lily said as she started up the stairs, "I don't suppose you're making hot chocolate?"

"I just got the pot started," Casey said as he turned to the stove, "it'll be ready in a few minutes. We even have mini-marshmallows."

"Cool," Lily said. "You know, you're always up when I get up. Are you having trouble sleeping or something?"

"Or something," Casey replied as he fussed with his saucepan. "I've always been a night owl, and tigers are known for being nocturnal. Besides, Theo snores."

"I do _not,"_ Theo said as he stalked out into the loft itself.

"You shouldn't eavesdrop then," Casey said, "you never hear anything good about yourself."

Theo's pace as he walked across the loft and up to the kitchen reminded Lily more of an offended, wet kitten than the jaguar she imagined Theo was trying to imitate. Lily ducked her head and bit her lip to keep Theo from seeing her smile and get even more offended. "Did you just get out of the shower?" Lily asked curiously.

"What if I did?" Theo asked.

"It is 1 am," Casey said, "you went to bed at eleven."

Theo shook his head, "I couldn't sleep, and it's easier to get hot water this late."

"I'm glad you decided to join us then," Casey said, he gave Theo a little smile; "You know you're welcome any time you're up."

"So Casey," Lily said as she slid into a seat at the table, "do you think RJ will join us?" Keeping her posture casual, she watched Casey's reaction.

"He probably will," Theo said, also taking a seat, "he has before."

Lily glared at Theo as Casey turned back to the stove. She'd noticed some reactions from Casey that made her curious. If she didn't know better, she would think that Casey was developing a crush on RJ.

"He'd better hurry if he's coming," Casey said, "his chocolate will go cold."

"We can't have that," RJ said as he appeared on the stairs from the JKP kitchen.

"Is everything all right?" Lily asked, watching as RJ leaned against the counter near Casey.

"Yes," RJ replied, "I was finishing my quarterly earnings reports. Even with extra help, we did very well." He looked at Lily for a moment, "No matter the number of accidents in the kitchen."

Lily looked down, blushing. She'd instigated her fair share of those accidents. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"So RJ," Theo said with a hint of false heartiness, "you've had your morpher all this time?"

"I have," RJ said, "I had to wait for the right time."

"Do you have any other morphers just lying around?" Casey asked as he began collecting mugs for their drinks.

"Not at the moment," RJ replied as he gave Casey a small smile, "I'll let you know if I find one, however."

This time, Lily could tell, Casey was definitely blushing. His ears went almost as red as his t-shirt and his cheeks were distinctly pink.

"If we do get another Ranger," Lily said, "I hope it's a girl. Fran's nice, but she does have to go home every day."

"I make no promises," RJ said quietly as he accepted his mug. "Thank you Casey."

"Yes," Theo said, "thank you Casey."

Casey slid the bright yellow mug over to Lily and then went back for his own cup and a bag of marshmallows. "Thank you," Lily said as she pulled open the bag and helped herself to a handful.

"May I have some?" Theo asked.

Casey picked up the bag, pulled some out, and offered them to Theo, "Here," he said with a teasing grin, "some."

"Very funny Casey," Theo said, "may I have the bag of marshmallows so I can get my own?"

Casey handed over the bag and dropped his handful into his own mug as he sat down. "Would you like some marshmallows, RJ?"

"No thank you," RJ replied.

As Lily leaned back and sipped her hot chocolate. In the back of her mind, she imagined she could hear Cheddar purring happily.


	66. Dance 5

A/N: I think Leaves in the Fall had more drama in it's update, this one was more annoying if only for the lack of inspiration. It falls just before Path of the Rhino. (Ironically, I was watching things with the intent to write Path of the Rhino based stuff only to have this show up and park its muse in my life. Enjoy!

* * *

Lily grinned as she climbed up to the kitchen, "Hey Casey," she said.

"Hey Lily," Casey replied as he looked into his saucepan, "give it another few minutes and it will be ready."

"If you say so," Lily said as she dropped down into her favorite chair. "Out of curiosity, do you think that RJ is going to be attacked again for his spirit?"

"I hope not," Casey said.

"Do you think they'll try that with one of us?" Lily asked, as Cheddar appeared beside her, she bent down to scratch the cheetah's ears.

"It won't be an issue," RJ said as he came out of the JKP kitchen.

"It won't?" Lily and Casey asked.

"Dai Shi attacked my animal spirit first," RJ said after a moment, "I think that created a weakness that could be exploited. It won't happen again."

"What if he does try that with someone else?" Casey asked, "It was tough enough to fight the wolf."

RJ shook his head, "If they try something, we will deal with it, but I do not think that it will come to that, Casey. Is the milk done?"

Casey froze, turning to look at the stove, "Oh shi- uh, shoot," he said, grabbing a spoon and stirring the pot. Then he relaxed, "No, we're good," he said and reached in the cabinet to produce mugs.

"Sounds like I'm right on time," Theo said from the basketball court.

Lily leaned over, "Theo! Get up here and help us."

"Help you with what?" Theo asked.

"We're trying to get RJ to explain why he thinks no one's animal spirit is going to get messed up like the Wolf did," Lily replied. "I'm having trouble buying 'I just know'."

RJ sighed, "Jared started at the school when I was a senior," he said, "at first, they thought he had the wolf spirit so I was assigned to keep an eye on him and help him get in touch with his spirit. What they don't tell you until you mentor another is that it creates a link between spirits. Dai Shi was able to exploit that connection, even if it was weakened because of how long it's been since I was his mentor, the fact that Jared had the lion spirit instead of the wolf, and my own attainment of Master status."

"I didn't have a mentor," Theo said.

RJ nodded, "You did not need one, you and Lily both have strong connections to your animal spirits and you just needed the techniques, not the control. Casey might have been assigned a mentor."

Casey, carrying mugs to the table looked at them, "I would have?"

RJ spread his hands out, "Who can say, you have come here instead."

"Wait a minute," Lily said, "you were at the Academy when Jared started, but Theo and I started at the Academy with Jared, why don't I remember you?"

"Good question," Theo said.

"I was Jared's mentor for about two months," RJ said, "I was also completing my studies to become a Master. When Jared started training with another teacher to control the Lion and I achieved my Master stripes, I already knew I was leaving the Academy, even if nobody else did. I was gone before they could ask me to take on training anyone else, with Master Mao's blessings." He sipped his hot chocolate, "You aren't the first either."

"What do you mean?" Casey asked as he took his seat.

"Not all students at the Academy become Masters," RJ said, "but they have, for the most part, been isolated at the Academy for several years. Former students, and even some Masters like me, we act as a sort of halfway house for Academy dropouts."

"Is that what you thought we were?" Lily asked, "When we first showed up?"

RJ sipped his hot chocolate, slurping noisily.

"Never mind that," Casey said, "I still want to know where your morpher came from, RJ. I mean, you've made some pretty amazing stuff for us to use, but I was under the impression that morphers couldn't be made in an afternoon."

"How do you know they can't?" RJ asked mildly.

"Leave it," Lily said, "I'm sure there are other things we can talk about rather than just rehashing the same conversation we had last time."

"All right," Casey said, "how are you feeling Lily? Any more twinges of your angry side?"

"Every day," Lily replied as she stood up, "like when someone forgets to get out the marshmallows. If you're meaning because of that stupid porcupine? Then no, just a strong spiritual pain whenever I remember how much more I have to pay on that motorcycle."

"Why not just sell it?" Theo asked.

Lily turned to look at Theo, "Give up a motorcycle like that? Why would I? Unless RJ's planning to roll out a few more bikes like Casey's, I want my bike." She slid into her seat, "I just was planning to have a larger down payment when I bought one."

"May I have a marshmallow?" Theo asked.

Lily pulled a marshmallow from the bad and tossed it into Theo's mug.

"Lily!" Theo exclaimed.

"Don't throw food," RJ said.

"I'm sorry I forgot the marshmallows," Casey said, "may I have the bad when you're done?"

"Yes Casey, you may," Lily replied. "You only asked for one, Theo, and RJ, it's rude to reach across the table."

The phone rang, startling all of them. RJ stood up and answered it, "Jungle Karma Pizza, this is RJ. Unfortunately the parlor is closed…" He trailed off, looking surprised.

Lily glanced at Theo as RJ turned away from them and spoke too softly for them to hear, and then she looked at Casey. Casey was staring at RJ with an expression that combined longing and jealousy.

"No," RJ said, "that wouldn't be a problem. Let me go check something." He turned around eyed them, and then moved closer to claim his mug of hot chocolate before vanishing into the kitchen. "There's no bother, Dom," he said before he vanished from sight.


End file.
